Early Colorful Coptic Egyptian Woven Textile Fragment

Period: Late Roman / Early Christian, circa 4th–7th century AD. 
A colorful early Coptic Egyptian wool woven textile border, likely from a tunic or furnishing fabric, comprises a horizontal band with two central sinuous yellow registers enclosing stylized floral and bud motifs on a deep blue ground, framed above and below by brick-red bands filled with small light squares and multi-colored squares in green, blue, and yellow. The design is bordered by brown outer guards, all executed in tightly woven wool on a linen or mixed ground, typical of Coptic workshop production.
Textile bands of this type were commonly used as decorative clavi or segmenta on tunics, shawls, or household hangings in Coptic Egypt, and the abstract vegetal and geometric motifs reflect the transition from Classical to Christian decorative vocabulary. This example’s well-preserved color and professionally executed mount make it a strong study or display piece for collectors of ancient textiles and Coptic art.

Now carefully mounted on a neutral linen-covered board and set into a clear acrylic box frame, ready to hang and visually floating within the mount, making it ideal for modern display and study.
Dimensions  Textile panel (visible ancient fragment): 10 3/8 in. L x 2 5/8 in. W (approx. 26.4 x 6.7 cm). Frame: 13 5/8 in. L x 7 in. W (approx. 34.6 x 17.8 cm)

Condition expected edge fraying, minor losses to the pile and scattered small holes, particularly along the upper and lower edges and in a few of the colored square panels. Colors—deep indigo blue, brick red, olive green, mustard yellow, and off‑white—remain comparatively strong for the age, with some soft fading and toning. The fragment has been hand-stitched to a linen support which is stretched over a wooden stretcher; the stretcher reverse shows period notes in pencil/ink and some older conservation stitching. The entire mount is enclosed in a modern clear acrylic box frame, which shows only minor surface scuffs from handling and is ready for direct wall display. No repairs or restorations are visible other than the historical mounting and stabilization stitches.

Provenance Ex collection Mr. Sid Hart, Cos Cob, Connecticut, acquired in the 1980s–1990s; thence by descent.