The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of September 27, 2023

Nude Female Dancers from a Tunic

700s

Egypt or Syria, Umayyad period (661–750) or Abbasid period

(750–1258)

Silk; complementary weft-faced twill weave with inner warps (samite)

Overall: 15.5 x 14 cm (6 1/8 x 5 1/2 in.); Mounted: 21.6 x 14 cm (8 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1953.332

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

Four or six squares of this luxurious two-color silk were originally sewn on a linen tunic, two positioned above the hemline in the front and two in the back, and possibly two more at the shoulder. The folded edges are still visible, including a silk sewing thread on the right side. The brittle condition is evident in the numerous crisp breaks.

Description

Voluptuous females in sheer attire were not only depicted in contemporary wall paintings but also woven in lengths of silk fabric that were cut into squares to decorate linen tunics. These symmetrical female dancers, with anklets and long scarves draped around their shoulders, hold branches and pomegranates.

Provenance
found in Akhmim, Egypt (?)
?–1953
(Mrs. Paul [Marguerite] Mallon [d. 1977], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
1953–
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Exhibition history

Gallery 210 textile rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (September 11, 2000-October 21, 2001).

Byzantine Gallery 210 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 12, 2000-October 25, 2001).

Coptic Textile Rotation Gallery 106. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 20, 2013-March 17, 2014).

Coptic Textile Rotation Gallery 106. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 12, 2016-May 22, 2017).

Coptic Textile Rotation Gallery 106. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 18, 2021-November 13, 2022).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1953.332