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Source Description
This circular element called a roundel that originally decorated a curtain displays a perfectly interlaced knot, a design believed to provide protection from harm. Curtains were often used as modular walls in houses, theaters, and Christian churches during the late Roman and early Christian periods.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
124964
label
Roundel from a Curtain
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
124964
contentType
object
title
Roundel from a Curtain
description
This circular element called a roundel that originally decorated a curtain displays a perfectly interlaced knot, a design believed to provide protection from harm. Curtains were often used as modular walls in houses, theaters, and Christian churches during the late Roman and early Christian periods.
date
300s CE
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60757766
genreSpecific
Textile
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 45.2 x 47.7 cm (17 13/16 x 18 3/4 in.); Mounted: 64.1 x 64.1 x 2.5 cm (25 1/4 x 25 1/4 x 1 in.)
cul
Egypt, Byzantine period
accession
1946.412
Source extras
tec
plain weave ground with tapestry weave and supplementary weft wrapping; undyed linen and dyed wool
tombstone
Roundel from a Curtain, 300s CE. Egypt, Byzantine period. Plain weave ground with tapestry weave and supplementary weft wrapping; undyed linen and dyed wool; overall: 45.2 x 47.7 cm (17 13/16 x 18 3/4 in.); mounted: 64.1 x 64.1 x 2.5 cm (25 1/4 x 25 1/4 x 1 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Henry Hunt Clark, 1946.412
collection
T - Coptic
didYouKnow
The purple color was achieved with kermes, a dye derived from the dried bodies of insects of the same name.
citations
citation
Sims, Lowery Stokes. The persistence of geometry: form, content, and culture in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2006.
page_number
p. 21, 31, 116
citation
Thomas, Thelma K. "Making Textiles and Assessing Their Value." In <em>Designing Identity: The Power of Textiles in Late Antiquity. </em>Thelma K. Thomas, ed. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016.
page_number
Reproduced: P. 79, 81, fig. 1-4.3
creditline
Gift of Henry Hunt Clark
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:27:08.256000
sourceId
124964
dept
Textiles
coll
T - Coptic
med
plain weave ground with tapestry weave and supplementary weft wrapping; undyed linen and dyed wool
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
e2e45d124d4f8c77