Fragment of Coptic fabric. Egypt, 6th-8th centuries A.D.

Fragment of Coptic fabric. Egypt, 6th-8th century AD.
Tapestry in polychrome textile fiber.
Provenance: Aponem, Maison des ventes, lot 417, sale of June 6, 2019, African Art.
With export permit.
State of conservation: general wear, weft losses, chromatic oxidation commensurate with its age and archaeological nature.
Measurements: 25 x 23 x 2 cm.

Coptic textile fragment from Egypt, dated between the 6th and 8th centuries A.D., with a central figurative medallion and an ornamental frame with vegetal motifs. The piece is part of the important textile tradition of late antique Egypt, where the classical heritage, the Eastern Christian imaginary and local decorative languages gave rise to works of remarkable symbolic richness.

In the center appears a winged figure, probably of angelic or allegorical character, represented inside a circular medallion and surrounded by a border of stylized flowers. The combination of reds, ochers, greens and blues, still visible despite the wear, preserves much of the original chromatic strength and allows us to appreciate the technical complexity of the fabric.

It could have been part of a tunic, a hanging or a textile element for ceremonial use, in which the image fulfilled a decorative as well as a symbolic function. The winged figure, the birds and the floral motifs refer to a visual universe associated with protection, spirituality and prestige, characteristic of the Coptic culture of Late Antiquity.

Textiles of this typology are represented in important international collections, such as the Louvre Museum, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Coptic Museum in Cairo.