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Curtain Fragment with Galloping Horse

500s CE
plain weave (tabby) with inwoven slit-tapestry weave; wool
Overall: 45.4 x 31.4 cm (17 7/8 x 12 3/8 in.); Mounted: 54 x 41.3 cm (21 1/4 x 16 1/4 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1948.27
Location: not on view
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Description

This large roundel framed with hearts displays a saddled horse galloping through a landscape, indicated by the stylized tree. The secondary motif of birds, partially visible in the corners, was repeated with the large roundels to form a colorful curtain. The many shades of color were skillfully achieved from only a few dyes, often the most expensive aspect of production: red and pink made from an insect dye, perhaps Armenian cochineal; blue from indigo; salmon (horse's nose and belly), yellow, and brown from fustic (different colors caused by the mordant, probably alum); green from fustic and indigo; and purple (horse's mane) from madder and indigo.
Curtain Fragment with Galloping Horse

Curtain Fragment with Galloping Horse

500s CE

Egypt, Antinoë, Byzantine period

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