Square Ornament from a Tunic

From the museum

The folded edges on all four sides of this luxury silk fragment indicate that it decorated a unisex linen tunic. The symmetrical deer with suckling fawn flanking a simplified central tree of life continues an ancient theme in a naturalistic style. The roundel is connected on all four sides and displays heart-shaped floral borders. This fragment is said to have been found in Akhmim, Egypt, south of Cairo, where, during the 1880s, numerous related silk fragments were excavated. Seen as a prized decoration, designs like this were often cut out of older textiles and stitched onto unisex linen tunics.

The museum’s own description, in English. Licence: CC0