Textile fragment

Description

This textile fragment, woven in Egypt, may date to the 7th century. It is an example of a coptic textile, made by Egyptian Christians known as Copts. This fragment is a weft-faced plain weave with an undyed linen warp and maroon wool weft. It has a geometric design embroidered with undyed linen yarn. This object is one of a large group transferred to Winterthur from the American Textile History Museum when it closed in 2017. This textile was reportedly purchased in Cairo, Egypt by a collector in 1910, then sold to Massachusetts mill owner Samuel Dale Stevens in 1920. It was donated to the American Textile History Museum in 1967.