The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of November 30, 2023

Nereid (Sea-Nymph) from a Hanging

late 300s - 400s

Egypt, Byzantine period, late 4th - 5th century

Slit-and dovetailed-tapestry weave probably woven in a linen plain-weave ground; dyed wool, undyed linen

Overall: 66.7 x 65.4 cm (26 1/4 x 25 3/4 in.); Mounted: 76.8 x 75.6 x 2.9 cm (30 1/4 x 29 3/4 x 1 1/8 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1953.18

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

Look closely at the eyeliner beneath the eye: it is formed by mixing two colors of thread, pink and blue.

Description

This mythological nereid, or sea nymph, a popular subject matter in late antiquity, is offering up the contents of a colored glass bowl. She is adorned with costly jewelry which includes large emeralds, sapphires, and pearls, a loosely draped shawl, and a brilliant halo. The nereid is surrounded by a border decorated with grape vines and birds. The quality of the craftsmanship is not diminished by the permanent brown blemishes, identified as dormant mold spores, which were present when it was acquired in 1953.

Provenance
(Mrs. Paul Mallon, New York).
Citations
"Art and Archaeology at the Cleveland Museum of Art." Archaeology 6, no. 4 (1953): 195-202. p. 199, cover illus www.jstor.org
Shepherd, Dorothy G. "A Late Hellenistic Tapestry from Egypt." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 41, no. 1 (1954) pp. 4-6 www.jstor.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 65 archive.org
Cleveland Museum of Art, and William Mathewson Milliken. The Cleveland Museum of Art. New York: H.N. Abrams, 1958. p. 7
Kunsthaus Zürich. Christentum am Nil; Koptische Kunst; Nachtrag. 1963. pl. VI, no. 242
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 30 archive.org
Bourguet, R. du. 1966. "La technique des étoffes coptes en rapport avec leur dotation". Bulletin De Liaison Du Centre International D'études Des Textiles Anciens. 17-30. p. 17
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 30 archive.org
Volbach, Wolfgang Fritz, and Jüri Gabriel. Early Decorative Textiles. London: Hamlyn, 1974. pl. 9
Kokuritsu Seiyō Bijutsukan. Masterpieces of World Art from American Museums from Ancient Egyptian to Contemporary Art. Tokyo: National Museum of Western Art, 1976. Cat. No. 6
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 36 archive.org
Rutschowscaya, Marie-Hélène. Coptic Fabrics. Paris, France: Adam Biro, 1990. p. 71
Exhibition history

Anatomy in Art. William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, Kansas City. MO (May 8-June 6, 1960).

Koptische Kunst,Christentum am Nil, Villa Hügel, Essen, Germany (April 1-July 31, 1963); Kunsthaus, Zürich (October 31, 1963-January, 15, 1964).

Früchristliche und koptische Kunst, Akademie der bildenden Künste, Vienna, Austria (February 15-May 15, 1964).

L'art Copte, Petit Palais, Paris, France (June 15-September 15, 1964).

Masterpieces of World Art from American Museums, From Ancient Egyptian to Contemporary Art, The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, Japan (September 11-October 17, 1976); The Kyoto National Museum, Kyoto, Japan (November, 2-December 5, 1976).

Art and Anatomy. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO (organizer) (May 8-June 6, 1960).

Coptic Art. Villa Hügel, Essen, Germany (organizer) (April 1-July 31, 1963).

Byzantine Gallery 210 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 2, 2001-October 15, 2002).

Coptic Textile Rotation Gallery 106. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 31, 2010-April 1, 2011).

Coptic Textile Rotation Gallery 106. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 3, 2015-April 11, 2016).

Coptic Textile Rotation - Gallery 106. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 5, 2020-August 2, 2021).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1953.18