Tunic with Double-headed Serpents
Unknown Artist
400–200 BCE
Medium
cotton; gauze
Dimensions
unfolded: 136.5 × 65.4 cm · folded: 68.3 × 65.4 cm
Classification
Textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Dudley P. Allen Fund
Accession Number
2005.17
About this artwork
Gauze weave was used to pattern this tunic with interlocking, double-headed serpents that may have had mythical or supernatural significance. By manipulating the density of the fabric to create the design, the weaver may have sidestepped a limitation of cotton, which did not readily take dyes.