Harvard Art Museums > 1919.52: Clavus (tunic band): Dionysos (Bacchus) Textile Arts Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Clavus (tunic band): Dionysos (Bacchus) , 1919.52,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, May 08, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/215515. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1919.52 Title Clavus (tunic band): Dionysos (Bacchus) Classification Textile Arts Work Type textile Date c. 400-500 CE Places Creation Place: Africa, Egypt Period Byzantine period, Early Culture Egyptian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/215515 Physical Descriptions Medium Wool and linen, tapestry weave Technique Woven, tapestry weave Dimensions 48 x 9 cm (18 7/8 x 3 9/16 in.) Provenance Recorded Ownership History Dr. Denman Waldo Ross, Cambridge, MA (by 1919), gift; to the Fogg Museum. Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Dr. Denman W. Ross Accession Year 1919 Object Number 1919.52 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description This is a tapestry-woven shoulder band (clavus) in colored and undyed linen threads on linen warps. A floral border outlines the central pink panel containing a nude figure with blue halo, a cape, sandals, and staff. Below him is a charging lion, above a charging griffin. Commentary The figure on this clavus band is most probably Dionysus, the Greek god of wine. He can be identified by his nudity and the thyrsus (pine-cone topped staff) he holds. This textile band is identical to the right band on a tunic front at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (accession number 96.355). Both pieces came from the collection of Denman Waldo Ross and likely once belonged to the same garment. Exhibition History The Pervasive, yet Elusive, Dionysos, Bowdoin College Museum of Art, 04/12/2001 - 06/17/2001 32Q: 3740 Egyptian, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/01/2017 - 11/28/2017 Verification Level This record has been reviewed by the curatorial staff but may be incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
