Textile fragment with dancing woman and rabbit

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Textile fragment with dancing woman and rabbit

Description

This remarkable textile fragment is adorned with an inwoven image of a dancing woman draped in a long cloth. Below her is a roundel featuring a rabbit with ears folded back. On either side of these figures are plant motifs and decorative borders with geometric patterns.This textile was made in Egypt during the Coptic Early Christian period, a time when a multitude of cultural and religious influences (for example, Egyptian, Persian, Greco-Roman, Islamic, and Christian) shaped artistic production, resulting in a dynamic fusion of motifs and themes as well as an energetic and ornate style. Because of the arid desert conditions, many such textiles have been preserved, although most are only fragmentary remains of garments, wall hangings, and other household items.