Object
Tapestry weaved woolen border inserted into plain woven linen
25,40 x 17,10 cm
700 - 799
RKM 667-1914
Purchase
Currently not on display
Description
This fragment is from the upper part of an undyed linen tunic, decorated by short clavi. Clavi can reach down to the bottom edge of a tunic (like RKM 434-1909) or else – like in the present fragment – they finish at about waist height, where they extend into a bar and a roundel, the so-called sigillum. The clavus depicts a row of medallions or tendrils, each one filled with a bust and a four-legged animal alternately. In the sigillum, again a bust is depicted – whether these busts are private portraits or refer to personifications or officials cannot be determined. The bar from which the sigillum hangs depicts a spiral, as if it intends to imitate a chain, from which the sigillum is suspended.