Coptic textile
Tapestry-woven roundels in wool on linen, preserved in the dry tombs of Egypt.
Thousands of such textiles have been found in Egyptian graves, where the dry climate preserved them. They show how ancient imagery lived on in everyday clothes. Examples are in the Louvre, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Metropolitan Museum.
Materials: Wool and linen
Manufacture: The pattern was woven in coloured wool in tapestry technique directly into a linen cloth, often a tunic.
The roundels with dancers, animals or scrolls in dark purple and red.
The linen ground around them, remaining from the garment.