Url
	https://dhprojects.bc.edu/s/TellalianTextiles/item/1990
Title
	Tapestry Band with Hares, Birds, Fruits, and Leaves
Description
	This fragment was probably once part of a tunic, serving as a <i>clavus</i>, a vertical band that would have run as part of a matching pair from the garment’s shoulder to its hemline. The presence of <i>clavi</i> on a tunic indicated the wearer’s elevated or elite social status. This band’s intricate design consists of well-woven, multi-chromatic hares, birds, fruits, and leaves. The fusion of vegetal and animal motifs is a well-known feature of Egyptian textiles from this period, and the acanthus scroll pattern was a common design element found on Greco-Roman Corinthian columns. </br></br>

Compare this tapestry band to the tunic <i>clavi</i> fragments (<a href="https://www.doaks.org/resources/textiles/catalogue/BZ.1953.2.7">BZ.1953.2.7</a>) in the Dumbarton Oaks Byzantine Collection. Also compare the red highlights on the birds and hares with the hare’s tongue on <a href="https://dhprojects.bc.edu/s/TellalianTextiles/item/1989#?c=&m=&s=&cv=&xywh=-32%2C-167%2C1062%2C1118">McMullen 2018.4</a> in this collection.
Date
	5th century
Type
	Textile
Spatial Coverage
	Egypt
Temporal Coverage
	5th century
Provenance
	Purchased from Charles Dikran Kelekian, Ancient Arts, New York, NY on 7 June 1979. Provenance unknown prior to Kelekian family.
Repository
	McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Materials
	Linen and wool
Dimension (in)
	2.5 x 24 in
Dimension (cm)
	6 x 62 cm
Accession Number
	McMullen 2018.5
Tellalian Number
	Tellalian 1979-00250/250
Donor
	Barbara and Donald Tellalian
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. </br></br>The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore. 17 May - 15 July 1989. </br></br>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. <i>Beyond the Pharaohs: Egypt and the Copts in the 2nd to 7th Centuries AD,</i> plate 185. Providence: Rhode Island School of Design, 1989. </br></br>Nicgorski, Ann M. “The Fate of Serapis: A Paradigm for Transformations in the Culture and Art of Late Roman Egypt.” In <i>Roman in the Provinces: Art on the Periphery of Empire</i>, edited by Lisa R. Brody and Gail L. Hoffman, 153–66, plate 152. Boston College: McMullen Museum of Art, distributed by the University of Chicago Press, 2014.
Conservation History
	September 1981: Textile Conservation Center, North Andover, MA.
Rights
	https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/ Public Domain

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