Egyptian / Fragment / late third or early fourth century

Egyptian
Fragment
late third or early fourth century
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Cultures and time periods represented range from contemporary art, to ancient Greek, Roman, and Egyptian works.
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Creator Nationality: African; North African; Egyptian
Creator Name-CRT: Egyptian
Title: Fragment
Title Type: Object name
Title: Personification of Luna, the Moon, or Head of Diana, Goddess of the Hunt
View: Full View
Creation Start Date: 267
Creation End Date: 325
Creation Date: late third or early fourth century
Object Type: Textiles
Classification Term: Textiles-Woven
Materials and Techniques: woven wool and linen
Dimensions: 22 1/32 x 24 4/5 in. (56 x 63 cm)
AMICA Contributor: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Owner Location: New York, New York, USA
ID Number: 10.130.1076
Credit Line: Gift of Helen Miller Gould, 1910
Rights: http://www.metmuseum.org/
Context:

The golden medallion within its beautifully worked face successfully evokes the association of a woman with the moon. The crescent-shaped ornament in her curly brown hair identifies the woman as a personification of Luna, the moon, or perhaps of Diana, goddess of the hunt, who often wears such a symbol. While large fabric fragments like this one were discovered as burial wrappings, their original use is uncertain. Domestic wall hangings were often worked in the woven woolen pile used for the decorations on this textile.

Vividly colored woolen yarns replaced the linen threads to create a dramatic image suggestive of wall paintings and floor mosaics. Such designs are part of the cultural mainstream of the Late Roman/Early Byzantine world, and are not themes or styles restricted to Egypt. The Museum's head, a finely worked illusionistic image in three-quarter view, is typical of the Hellenistic traditions of the late third or early fourth century, and it is often associated with three similar heads of the same date on two fabric fragments now in the Museum of Popular Art, Athens. This textile is from the collection of Dr. Chauncey Murch (Luxor).

AMICA ID: MMA_.10.130.1076
AMICA Library Year: 2000
Media Metadata Rights: Copyright The Metropolitan Museum of Art

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