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Coptic Egyptian Textile Fragment of a Nude Dancer browse these categories for related items... Directory: Archives: Regional Art: Ancient World: Egyptian: Pre AD 1000: Item # 642067
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This is a fragment of a very popular style of Coptic tunic from the sixth century A.D. Tunics from this period featured stripes called clavi, which crossed over the shoulders from hem to hem. (Think of a tunic as a T-shirt; the two clavi were vertical strips that ran up the front and back of the tunic in a similar position that a pair of modern suspenders would sit.) Within the clavi were chains of linked ovals that contained a variety of motifs, like busts and animals. This larger arch contains a dancer, nude except for a floating scarf worn over the shoulders. While this may seem like an odd motif for an early Christian, nudity symbolizes spiritual purity when it appears in a religious context as it does here, indicated by the placement of the figure in an arch that suggests the side aisle of a church nave. See Carroll, "Looms and Textiles of the Copts," #31 for a near-identical example in a larger fragment. This particular piece would have been positioned over the left breast in an intact tunic.
Tradition dictates that the Coptic Church in Egypt is based upon the teachings of St. Mark, one of the original disciples who supposedly visited Egypt around 50 A.D. Christianity took hold easily in Egypt, largely as a result of existing Egyptian religious beliefs that meshed well with Christian doctrine (e.g., the resurrection of Osiris and the holy trinity of Osiris, Isis, and Horus). The Coptic Church was more or less exiled from the Western Christian church due to its emphasis on monastic living and especially due to its belief in monophysitism, the notion that Christ's human and divine natures should be considered one inseparable, perfect union, "the nature of the incarnate word." This stood in sharp contrast to the traditional belief that Christ's human self and divine self are distinctive. The Coptic Church thrived in Egypt for centuries, even under Arab rule, as the Prophet's only childbearing wife was a Copt and pleaded with her husband to show kindness to her people. However, by the end of the 12th Century AD, Egypt had become primarily Muslim. Despite this conversion, the Coptic church still exists today with a large membership in modern Egypt. AGE: Sixth century A.D. CONDITION: Fragmentary with some losses as shown, but good for an isolated piece. This piece comes ready for display as shown in a 6.25" x 5.25" Riker case. DIMENSIONS: Fragment is about 5.5" tall and 3.3" wide (14 cm x 8.4 cm) |
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