CIRCA 4TH-5TH CENTURY A.D.

Probably part of a frieze from a much larger hanging. Woven in wool on a linen ground depicting a Bacchic dancer. The figure can be associated to the harvest of grapes due to the sickle in his right hand for trimming bushes and vines, and the dynamic twisting pose reminiscent of grape-treading. His polychrome costume comprises a tunic passing over his left shoulder, with clavus stripe, over a short skirt. The red arc over his head is possibly the remains of a cap. A comparable Coptic textile fragment depicting a dancing figure or putto can be found at the Haifa Museum, inv. no. 6040 (see A. Baginski and A. Tidhar, Textiles from Egypt, 4th-13th Centuries C.E., Tel-Aviv, 1980, no. 45).