Icon of the Virgin and Child
500s
Maker Unknown
Textiles
Icon of the Virgin and Child, 500s. Egypt, Byzantine period, 6th century. Slit-and dovetailed-tapestry weave; wool ; overall: 178.7 x 110.5 cm (70 3/8 x 43 1/2 in.); mounted: 197.4 x 128.2 x 6.4 cm (77 11/16 x 50 1/2 x 2 1/2 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1967.144 Created in Egypt's hot and dry desert climate, this tapestry features a border of lush greenery and fruits, while flowers peek out from around the throne of the Virgin. Imagine encountering this artistic oasis in a Coptic church during the dry heat of the day.
- Maker/Artist
- Maker Unknown
- Classification
- Textile
- Formatted Medium
- slit-and dovetailed-tapestry weave; wool
- Medium
- slit-and, dovetailed-tapestry, weave, wool
- Dimensions
- Overall: 178.7 x 110.5 cm (70 3/8 x 43 1/2 in.); Mounted: 197.4 x 128.2 x 6.4 cm (77 11/16 x 50 1/2 x 2 1/2 in.)
- Inscribed
- Inscription: on the lintel of the architectural setting, the Greek inscription translates as: The Holy Michael, The Holy Mary, The Holy Gabriel. The wide foliate border is decorated with fruits and flowers and, in the lower part, with medallions containing the busts of apostles whose names are inscribed nearby in Greek and are translated as: Andrew, Matthew, Paul the Apostle, Luke, James, Phillip, Mark, Thomas, John, Matthias, Peter, and Bartholomew.
- Departments
- Textiles
- Accession Number
- 1967.144
- Credit Line
- Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
- Exhibitions
- Year in Review: 1968, Sacred Gifts and Worldly Treasures: Medieval Masterworks from the Cleveland Museum of Art, Woven Interiors: Early Medieval Textiles of the Eastern Mediterranean, Africa and Byzantium, <em>The Age of Spirituality</em>. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY (November 19, 1977- February, 12, 1978).<br><em>Gallery 210 textile rotation</em>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (January 6, 2000-July 12, 2000); (September 5, 2000-February 12, 2001); (August 8, 2001-February 4, 2002); (August 5, 2002-February 3, 2003); (August 4, 2003-February 3, 2004); (August 5, 2004-July 18, 2005).<br><em>Gallery 106 textile rotation</em>. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 31-September 13, 2010); (April 1-September 14, 2011); (March 26, 2012-March 18, 2013); (September 23, 2013-March 17, 2014); (September 22, 2014-March 2, 2015); (September 8, 2015-May 1, 2016); (October 30, 2017-April 30, 2018); (October 29, 2018-April 29, 2019).
- Rights Statement
- CC0
- Museum Location
- 106A Migration Period & Coptic
Have a concern, a correction, or something to add?
