Detail View: The AMICA Library: Sheet of Royal Linen
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AMICA ID:
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MMA_.36.3.111
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AMICA Library Year:
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2000
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Object Type:
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Textiles
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Creator Nationality:
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African; North African; Egyptian
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Creator Name-CRT:
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Egyptian
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Title:
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Sheet
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Title Type:
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Object name
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Title:
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Sheet of Royal Linen
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View:
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Full View
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Creation Date:
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ca. 1466 B.C.E.
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Creation Start Date:
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-1468
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Creation End Date:
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-1464
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Materials and Techniques:
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Linen
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Dimensions:
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Greatest W. 63 3/8 in. (161 cm); Greatest L. 16 ft. 11 in. (515 cm); Wt. 2.9 oz. (140 g); 118 warp, 77 weft per square in. (46 warp, 30 weft persquare cm)
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AMICA Contributor:
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art
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Owner Location:
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New York, New York, USA
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ID Number:
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36.3.111
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Credit Line:
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Rogers Fund, 1936
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Rights:
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Context:
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The earliest Egyptian funerary texts list linen cloth among the principal offerings for the deceased, and price lists indicate that the finest quality fabric was highly prized. The tomb of Hatnofer and Ramose contained a variety of linen sheets that came from the storehouses of Queen Hatshepsut, a funerary gift for the parents of Senenmut, one of her favorite courtiers. This sheet was woven of superfine thread that must have been spun from flax harvested when the plants were very young. The length of cloth would have taken months of constant industry to weave. The upper left corner has a series of inlaid weaver's marks, and the right corner, a single cross. One end of the sheet has a warp selvage; the other is finished with a plied fringe; and one weft selvage is decorated with an inlaid fringe. This cloth must be that described by the Egyptians as "royal linen," the highest quality. The sheerness of the featherweight fabric and its silken softness lend credence to New Kingdom representations of elaborately pleated garments that allow the contours of the body and even the color of the skin to show through. The cloth was repaired and laundered in ancient times. |
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Related Image Identifier Link:
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MMA_.rt36.3.111.R.tif
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