Coptic
Roundel (Orbiculus) with Fret Designs and Scalloped Border
Coptic, 301
Physical Qualities
Wool, linen, 11 x 10 in. (27.9 x 25.4 cm.)
Credit Line
Gift of Dena S. Katzenberg, Baltimore
Object Number
1985.222
A tapestry-woven roundel (orbiculus) with very deep blue or purple background ornamented with white tapestry woven scalloping around the inner edge and white flying shuttle weft patterning throughout the middle in an all-over fret design surrounded by a guilloche. Stamen-like motifs radiate outward from the guilloche band. The roundel is appliqued to a plain woven, natural colored ground (not necessarily original), around the exterior edges only with the backing cut away behind it. The edge of the backing around the perimeter beneath the roundel are frayed and uneven. The exterior edges of the backing fabric appear to have been cut unevenly and show losses.
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Baltimore Museum of Art by gift 1985; Dena S. Katzenberg, Baltimore, MD.
Katzenberg, Dena S., Blue Traditions: Indigo Dyed Textiles and Related Cobalt Glazed Ceramics from the 17th through the 19th Century. Baltimore: Baltimore Museum of Art, December 2, 1973-January 21, 1974.
Anita Jones, The Baltimore Museum of Art, Timeless Weft: Ancient Tapestries and the Art of Louise B. Wheatley, February 1–July 30, 2017.
Anita Jones, The Baltimore Museum of Art, Timeless Weft: Ancient Tapestries and the Art of Louise B. Wheatley, February 1–July 30, 2017.
Katzenberg, Dena S.. "Blue Traditions: Indigo Dyed Textiles and Related Cobalt Glazed Ceramics from the 17th through the 19th Century". Baltimore: Baltimore Museum of Art, 1973. cat. 11, p. 121, p. 48 (ill.).