Harvard Art Museums > 1975.41.6: Ornament from a Tunic: A Hunter Slaying a Lion 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"Ornament from a Tunic: A Hunter Slaying a Lion , 1975.41.6,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, May 14, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/288727. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1975.41.6 Title Ornament from a Tunic: A Hunter Slaying a Lion Classification Textile Arts Work Type tapestry Date 4th-5th century CE Places Creation Place: Ancient & Byzantine World, Africa, Egypt (Ancient) Period Byzantine period, Early Culture Byzantine Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/288727 Physical Descriptions Medium Wool and linen, tapestry woven Technique Tapestry Dimensions Diam. 9.1 cm (3 9/16 in.) Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of The Hagop Kevorkian Foundation in memory of Hagop Kevorkian Accession Year 1975 Object Number 1975.41.6 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 Small round tapestry fragment with a hunter fighting a lion. The active figures are surrounded by plant forms, suggesting that this scene is a hunt occurring in the wild rather than a battle between a venatore and a lion in an arena. This composition recalls representations of Herakles and the Nemean lion. The hunter has curled hair and wears a short tunic that itself features tapestry woven clavi (shoulder bands) and roundels. The border of the roundel is not a smooth band, but instead seems to represent the stem of a vine. The warps run perpendicular to the direction of the roundel’s design. Supplementary wefts in ‘flying shuttle’ technique create details of the lion, man, and plants. Commentary Close combat with a lion is a feat of extraordinary bravery and may have served as a protective image for the wearer of the garment to which this roundel once likely belonged. The labors of Herakles continued to be represented for centuries into the Christian period, and were likely exemplary of male virtues. Publication History Persian & Egyptian Art, Oriental Rugs, Classic & Medieval Sculptures. The Kevorkian Collection., auct. cat., American Art Association (January 20-21, 1928), p. 62-63, no. 117 Exhibition History 32Q: 3740 Egyptian, Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, 12/21/2016 - 06/01/2017 Verification Level This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or 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
