Roundel Fragment Depicting Aphrodite

6th-8th century

Egypt

This textile fragment originally adorned a garment made in Byzantine Egypt. Dyers skillfully mixed natural dyes to create a varied color palette. Since few ancient texts discuss dyeing practices, materials and techniques must be reconstructed through scientific analysis. In this example, scientists identified dyes made from indigo plants for blues and greens, weld and tannin plants for yellows, and madder plants and cochineal insects for reds and pinks.

Status: On View, Gallery 58
Department: Textiles

Title: Roundel Fragment Depicting Aphrodite
Place: Egypt (Object made in:)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 501 CE–800 CE
Medium: Linen and wool, tapestry weave; embroidery
Dimensions: Diam.: 11.4 cm (4 1/2 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Martin A. Ryerson through the Antiquarian Society
Reference Number: 1900.407a
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/57098/manifest.json

Grand Rapids Art Museum, Magic of Fibers, Apr. 5–May 3, 1970.
Art Institute of Chicago, Elizabeth F. Cheney and Agnes Allerton Textile Galleries, On Loss and Absence: Textiles of Mourning and Survival, Sept. 6, 2025–Mar. 15, 2026, cat. (not in cat.)

Martin A. Ryerson (1856-1932), Chicago; given through the Antiquarian Society to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1900.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.

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IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world.

Learn more.