Fragment (Border)
Roman period (30 BCE– 641 CE), 4th/5th century
Medium
Linen and wool, slit tapestry weave
Dimensions
14 × 3.8 cm (5 1/2 × 1 1/2 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
1851
Art Historical Context
This delicate *Fragment (Border)* from Art Institute of Chicago offers a glimpse into the vibrant world of Coptic textiles from 4th- or 5th-century Egypt during the late Roman period (30 BCE–641 CE Coptic art, emerging from Egypt's early Christian communities, blended ancient Egyptian traditions with Roman and Byzantine, often adorning clothing, furnishings, and burial wrappings. Though small—measuring just 14 × 3.8 cm—this linen and wool border fragment likely edged a garment or textile panel, showcasing the everyday artistry of Coptic weavers. Crafted in slit tapestry weave, a technique whe...
About the Artist
Coptic
Coptic, the collective attribution for anonymous masters of early Christian Egypt, embodies the vibrant fusion of pharaonic, Hellenistic, and Greco-Roman traditions that defined art from the 4th century onward. Emerging in the context of Coptic Christianity's rise after the 1st century AD, these artists operated amid economic constraints that favored functional craftsmanship over elite patronage, ...