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Tunic
decoration
Egypt
5th century
By far the greatest number of surviving tapestry
fragments found in Roman Egypt were used to decorate
garments, especially tunics. The garments were usually
undyed linen with the tapestry woven into the fabric
or created separately and sewn onto the tunic. While
these works included much figural art, later examples
incorporated geometric and interlace designs.
Indigo
dyestuffs provided all the blues and "imitation"
purple for the textile industry, which dominated Mediterranean
commerce into the early Christian era. Purple was associated
with color obtained from the exotic Murex mollusk, which
was extraordinarily expensive. A more affordable dye
was obtained from indigo mixed with a red dye, usually
madder. The purple in this decoration probably utilized
such a mixture.
Warp:
undyed linen. Weft: linen and wool
Tapestry, slit and dovetail, weft wrapping, eccentric
wefts
The Textile Museum 71.113, acquired by George Hewitt
Myers in 1947
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