Child's Tunic
6th-8th century
- Medium
- Wool and linen; slit tapestry weave; edged with braided binding and plied warp fringe; embellished with woven cord
- Classification
- Costume and Accessories
- Dimensions
- 48.3 × 47 cm (19 × 18 1/2 in.)
- Culture
- Egypt
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Textiles
- Credit line
- Gift of Martin A. Ryerson through the Antiquarian Society
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
This small garment would have fit an infant, likely no more than one year old. It is one of numerous textiles that covered the child for burial; fragments of other pieces remain attached to the inside of the tunic. Burial clothing was usually worn in life, so this would have already been a well-worn garment when the child was laid to rest. Many small garments for children survive today because of the high infant mortality rate during this time in Egypt.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
