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Fragment of Round Segmentum — Anonymous, Coptic-style weaver(s)

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Written by: Daniel VolkovContributing Writer · Furniture & Decorative Arts
Antiquities · Catalogue no. 20473
Anonymous, Coptic-style weaver(s)

Fragment of Round Segmentum

StatusReference work · Not for sale
Held byCleveland Museum of Art
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Segmentum (medallions) like this decorated tunics in Coptic Egypt. Medallions were woven into a tunic’s shoulders or lower half. This medallion's design scheme displays waves encircling geometric shapes and representational images. It features a cross-legged dancer balanced on a vase with hands raised prayerfully. Other dancers clang cymbals while satyrs frolic below them. Coptic can refer to a language, an ethnic group, a religion, or an artistic style (which wasn’t always Christian). Coptic classical imagery reflects the Hellenized (Greek, 305–30 BC) and Roman cultures of Egypt (30 BC–AD 395) before the Byzantine era.

Artist / MakerAnonymous, Coptic-style weaver(s)
Date400s–600s CE
Culture / OriginAfrica, North Africa, Egypt, Coptic-style weaver(s)
MediumWool: tabby ground, inwoven tapestry ornament
DimensionsOverall: 33 x 29.2 cm (13 x 11 1/2 in.)
DepartmentTextiles
TypeTextile
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Provenance & Source

Image & data: Cleveland Museum of Art, CC0 / Public Domain.

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