Square with Bucolic Landscape

Unknown

4th–6th century · Linen, wool; plain weave, tapestry weave · Islamic Art

At the center of this finely woven square, a dancing shepherd wearing an animal-skin exomis (a short tunic fastened at the shoulder worn for exercise, riding, or labor) holds in the air what may be a libation vessel used for the ritual pouring of a liquid in honor of gods, heroes, or the dead. He is surrounded by a flock of leaping, horned animals. Two naked, dancing women, possibly nymphs, occupy opposite corners; the remaining corners are filled with plants, perhaps lotus. Pastoral scenes inhabited by figures associated with classical mythology were common on late antique textiles. Along with maenads and satyrs, shepherds and nymphs often made up Dionysos’s entourage. Almost identical imagery is found on the lower part of a tunic in the collections of the Musée départmental des Antiquités in Rouen, France; this square may have been part of that tunic or one very similar to it.

Artist

Unknown

Date

4th–6th century

Medium

Linen, wool; plain weave, tapestry weave

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Gift of George F. Baker, 1890