Nude Female Dancers from a Tunic

700s

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.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1953.332 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.