Roman Period Textile Fragment Depicting Venus, 200 CE - 500 CE
Textile
11 x 6.5
PF.0352a
A remarkable souvenir from the sunset of the pagan world. This beautiful weaving once served as the yoke collar for a tunic. It depicts Venus, the goddess of love, admiring...
A remarkable souvenir from the sunset of the pagan world. This beautiful weaving once served as the yoke collar for a tunic. It depicts Venus, the goddess of love, admiring her naked beauty in a hand mirror while her dancing worshipers bring her gifts of birds. Its original bright colors have faded with time, but the lively style evokes the age when Rome ruled the world. The woman who wore it in antiquity must have been very lovely indeed to risk comparison to a goddess.