Clavi (Decorative Band), 700s. Egypt, Umayyad period (661–750) or Abbasid period (750–1258). Wool; plain weave with slit-tapestry weave; overall: 81 x cm (31 7/8 x 8 in.); mounted: x cm (36 1/2 x 27 in.). Classical figures and winged animals remained popular during the early Islamic period. The nude male may portray Dionysus, Greek god of wine; he holds his thyrsus, a staff ornamented with ivy leaves and pine cones, as he pours liquid from a small jug for the panther. These colorful designs would have decorated the front or back of a tunic and one sleeve. Elaborate embellishmen

Clavi (Decorative Band), 700s. Egypt, Umayyad period (661–750) or Abbasid period (750–1258). Wool; plain weave with slit-tapestry weave; overall: 81 x cm (31 7/8 x 8 in.); mounted: x cm (36 1/2 x 27 in.). Classical figures and winged animals remained popular during the early Islamic period. The nude male may portray Dionysus, Greek god of wine; he holds his thyrsus, a staff ornamented with ivy leaves and pine cones, as he pours liquid from a small jug for the panther. These colorful designs would have decorated the front or back of a tunic and one sleeve. Elaborate embellishments were cherished. Thus, once a tunic began to fray, its decoration was sewn onto a new one, as seen on this winter-weight woolen tunic cloth. Its finely detailed motifs, some with eccentric drawing, are woven in tapestry weave, the equivalent of painting with weft thread; discontinuous horizontal wefts are interlaced only where needed in the design.

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