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Human Head from a Large Curtain
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Human Head from a Large Curtain

300s CE · tapestry weave, wool

From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.

About this work

Distinguished by a halo, this unidentified person wears a jeweled cap encrusted with pearls alternating with other gems, possibly emeralds. The cap is similar to what the Greeks called a Phyrgian cap, worn by people from Central Asia. The fragment originally belonged to an all-woolen curtain or hanging. Fabrics woven entirely with wool were the most costly and admired.

Cleveland Museum of Art’s own description
Credit lineHuman Head from a Large Curtain, 300s CE. Egypt, Byzantine period. Tapestry weave, wool; overall: 17 x 31 cm (6 11/16 x 12 3/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1982.301

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