Square Tapestry Fragment
7th-8th century
Hares, rabbits, and similar creatures often served as symbols of fertility in the Greco-Roman world, and grapes were associated with the god of wine and revelry, Dionysus (Bacchus). This fragment depicts a hare with large ears eating the fruit from a nearby grapevine, surrounded by an interlace border covered in leaves or spades. The hare’s red tongue stands out against the otherwise duo-chromatic composition, drawing the viewer’s focus to the eating of the grapes.
Compare this fragment’s border interlace to the interlace that makes up the apotropaic knot in this collection (McMullen 2018.12). Compare also with the various red highlights found on the animals of McMullen 2018.5.
Artwork Details
Title:
Square Tapestry Fragment
Date:
7th-8th century
Geography:
Egypt
Classification:
Textile
Materials:
Linen and wool
Dimensions:
11 x 11.5 cm (4 x 4.5 in)
Repository:
McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Accession Number:
McMullen 2018.4
Tellalian Number:
Tellalian 1979-00350
Donor:
Barbara and Donald Tellalian
Provenance:
Purchased from Charles Dikran Kelekian, Ancient Arts, New York, NY on 7 February 1979. Provenance unknown prior to Kelekian family.
Exhibition History:
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design. Beyond the Pharaohs: Egypt and the Copts in the 2nd-7th Centuries, AD, 10 February - 16 April 1989. https://risdmuseum.org/exhibitions-events/exhibitions/beyond-pharaohs. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 17 May - 15 July 1989. McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College. Roman in the Provinces: Art on the Periphery of Empire, 14 February - 31 May 2015. https://www.bc.edu/sites/artmuseum/exhibitions/rip/
Publication History:
Friedman, Florence D. Beyond the Pharaohs: Egypt and the Copts in the 2nd to 7th Centuries AD, plate 184. Providence: Rhode Island School of Design, 1989. Nicgorski, Ann M. “The Fate of Serapis: A Paradigm for Transformations in the Culture and Art of Late Roman Egypt.” In Roman in the Provinces: Art on the Periphery of Empire, edited by Lisa R. Brody and Gail L. Hoffman, 153–66, plate 153. Boston College: McMullen Museum of Art, distributed by the University of Chicago Press, 2014.
Conservation History:
No known conservation history