The two tapestry pieces--the band with two vertical stripes or
clavi, (right) and the square panel or segmentum, (below) most
likely come from the same cloth. They could have decorated a
tunic, or a shawl, or even a tablecloth. A plethora of colorful,
intricately detailed figures, fauna, and flora fill the red
ground of these tapestry, ornaments. The reclining Nile god
appears in the upper corners of the galloon's top band (right)
and also in the central medallion of the segmentum (below),
where he holds the cornucopia or the horn of plenty. Twice he is
accompanied by Euthenia, the female personification of
abundance. Playful putti cavort with fishes, ducks, and snakes,
and ride in boats and on the backs of sea creatures (crocodiles
or perhaps turtles). On each vertical band a figure brings home
a deer, the bounty of a successful hunt. In the Coptic tradition
of horror vacui, the space is teeming with fish, shells, lotus,
and papyrus plants. A border of indigo wool with a crested wave
pattern creates an appro