Tapestry Roundel
4th century
One of the oldest fragments in the Tellalian Collection, this interlaced roundel contains a small central ankh, which is the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic representation of life. Despite the ankh’s small size, its bright yellow color stands out prominently against the intricately woven interlace. Grape leaves and vines emanate from the roundel’s central eight-pointed star. The ankh, within this star, is itself encircled by eight rosettes.
In this period, the ankh usually carried Christian connotations, owing both to its metaphorical meaning and to its physical similarity to the cross. (To Christians, it was known as the crux ansata). It is possible that this fragment’s original tapestry was used in an Egyptian church, as some kind of altar cloth or decoration. It is also possible that a Christian patron commissioned this piece as a decoration on a tunic, in order to evoke a pious sartorial theology
Compare the ankh on this roundel to those found on fragment 258-1890 at the Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as the prominent central ankh on fragment 910.125.53 at the Royal Ontario Museum.
Artwork Details
Title:
Tapestry Roundel
Date:
4th century
Geography:
Egypt
Classification:
Textile
Materials:
Linen and wool
Dimensions:
21 x 26 cm (8.25 x 10.25 in)
Repository:
McMullen Museum of Art, Boston College, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Accession Number:
McMullen 2018.13
Tellalian Number:
Tellalian 1983-00600
Donor:
Barbara and Donald Tellalian
Provenance:
Purchased from Nanette R. Kelekian on 22 April 1983. Previously in possession of Charles Dikran Kelekian, Ancient Arts, New York, NY. Provenance unknown prior to Kelekian family.
Exhibition History:
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:
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 151. Boston College: McMullen Museum of Art, distributed by the University of Chicago Press, 2014.
Conservation History:
Unknown month, 1983: Donald Tellalian -- vacuum, wet wash with 1/2 teaspoon igepal/one gallon distilled water, three rinses and drying on glass. August, 1983: Textile Conservation Center, North Andover, MA.