Square Panel
Roman period (30 BCE– 641 CE), 5th/6th century
Medium
Wool, tapestry weave
Dimensions
10 × 10.2 cm (3 7/8 × 4 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
93036
Art Historical Context
This delicate Square Panel, a masterpiece of Coptic textile art from 5th- or 6th-century Egypt during the late Roman period (30 BCE–641 CE exemplifies the vibrant craftsmanship of early Christian communities in the Nile Valley. Produced by Coptic artisans—members of Egypt's native Christian population—these small woven fragments were often integrated into garments, hangings, or cushions, serving both practical and decorative purposes. At just 10 × 10.2 cm, this square panel highlights the precision of ancient weavers working in a multicultural hub blending Greco-Roman, Pharaonic, and emerging ...
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, ...