Curtain Panel with Scenes of Merrymaking, 500s (tapestry weave with supplementary weft wrapping, un-dyed linen...

This large panel conveys merrymaking, wealth, and power through its symbolic imagery and deep purple color. It was originally part of a luxurious wide curtain with similar panels alternating with plain linen. Although woven in Christian Egypt, pagan subjects dominate. A nude male stands beside a dancing female in transparent clothing in each of the three squares, alternating with centaurs (half-man, half-horse) in roundels. In the central square, Dionysus holds a grapevine and a weary Herakles leans on his club below. The lively animal imagery conveys wealth because few could afford such animals: lions, bulls, hares, a bear, boar, donkey, dog, and a stag.