Description
Important Woven Cloth with Lion Frieze and Ornamental Bands. Two-coloured tapestry weave in silhouette style, fine-threaded, dark grey and beige.
Rectangular length of cloth with centred vertical frieze of rampant lions with arching tails inside adjoining octagonal frames on a light-coloured ground, surrounded by a band of dense braiding with inside hatching alternating with flowers. Schematic palmettes in the spaces in between. Outer ornamental band of hanging rhombi. Lined up along the narrow edge at the bottom are four light-coloured, stocky human figures with bird’s feet, some with their left arm raised, set against a dark ground with fringed border below them. Fragment of a hanging
Sewn onto linen and framed. For style, ornamental structure and iconography, cf. Effenberger – 1976, 178, 216 f., 239, 270 f., pls. 119, 121, 125 (of later date, but with the same composition); Cat. Vienna – 2005, 155 f., no. 92 with illus.
REFERENCE #
TX_EG_1001
CIVILIZATION
Egypt, Coptic, 500 C.E. – 700 C.E.
SIZE
L. 99.2 cm, W. 26.5 cm
CONDITION
Fine Condition
PRICE
Price available upon request
PROVENANCE
Coll. A. and E. Offermann, Cologne (1965–2012). – Formerly private collection of Reichskanzler Franz von Papen (1879–1969), from June–December 1932 last but one Reichskanzler of the Weimar Republic, from January 1933 to July 1934 vice-chancellor in Hitler’s cabinet, later ambassador of the German Reich in Vienna and Ankara. Acquitted at the Nuremberg Trials of 1946, but one year later as one of the main culprits condemned to eight years in a labour camp as part of the denazification of Germany. Purchased in 2004 from Roswitha Eberwein, Antike Kunst, Göttingen. Declaration of provenance on back of frame: “Sammlung von Papen”.
Frequently Asked Questions
The woven cloth originates from the Coptic civilization in Egypt, dating between 500 C.E. and 700 C.E. This period is known for its distinctive textile art featuring symbolic and ornamental designs.
The tapestry is a two-coloured weave executed in silhouette style using fine threads in dark grey and beige. It features a rectangular length of cloth with intricate ornamental bands and a central vertical frieze of rampant lions within octagonal frames.
The cloth displays a central vertical frieze of rampant lions with arching tails inside adjoining octagonal frames, surrounded by dense braiding bands with hatching and floral motifs. It also includes schematic palmettes, an outer band of hanging rhombi, and four stocky human figures with bird’s feet along the bottom edge.
The cloth was part of the collection of A. and E. Offermann in Cologne from 1965 to 2012. It was formerly owned by Reichskanzler Franz von Papen, a notable political figure in Germany during the early 20th century. The provenance is documented on the back of the frame with the inscription “Sammlung von Papen.”
The textile is in fine condition, measuring 99.2 cm in length and 26.5 cm in width. It has been sewn onto linen and framed for preservation.
Scholarly references include works by Effenberger (1976) and the Vienna Catalogue (2005), which discuss similar compositions and ornamental structures, providing context for the textile's style and iconography.
The price of the woven cloth is not publicly listed and is available only upon request, indicating it may be a valuable or rare item requiring direct inquiry for purchase details.
