Koptic textile fragment

Woven wool, Egypt, 8th century AD.

Dimensions: 170 x 175 (mm)

Allard Pierson Museum

This ornamental piece of a Coptic tunic was cut out by a collector. In the 19th century art collectors started to be interested in ancient textiles. They loved the beauty and studied the technique, but didn’t care much for the context and provenance. The object was saved, but its history got lost.

Books are often rather dull; just text. Such a small piece of fabric does not say much either, at first sight. The history behind these objects, however, is very interesting and tells us much about the 19th century collecting culture. Love for something can save it, or destroy it. Collectors hacked, cut, stole and separated.  The origins, context and history of the object gets lost in the process. Our challenge is to tell this story and make sure it comes across.

 

Written by: Marike van Roon, Chief Curator at Special Collections Department, University of Amsterdam