Jul 22, 2025
Coptic Egyptian tapestry with a shepherd milking a goat, late 5th to 6th century, linen and wool in tapestry weave, Saint Louis Art Museum (JSTOR)
seen from Netherlands
seen from Türkiye
seen from Italy
seen from Russia
seen from Singapore
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Netherlands
seen from Singapore
seen from Yemen
seen from Canada
seen from China
seen from French Guiana
seen from Italy
seen from French Guiana
seen from France
seen from United States
seen from Austria
seen from Netherlands
seen from China
seen from China
Coptic Egyptian tapestry with a shepherd milking a goat, late 5th to 6th century, linen and wool in tapestry weave, Saint Louis Art Museum (JSTOR)
A Coptic magical text (Spell to Acquire a Beautiful Voice), 6th–7th century CE, from Egypt. Ink on papyrus, now part of Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University. [4996x6640]
Happy Coptic Christmas 🇪🇬🌟
Rest on the Flight into Egypt
Luc-Olivier Merson, (French, 1846–1920), 1880
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Socks found in the Northern Necropolis of Antinoe, 4th-6th century AD, on display at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Firenze.
the church in the coptic monastery of the virgin mary in bethlehem, palestine. this unique church is built inside of a cave tunnel which connects it to the nearby church of the nativity. the holy family is said to have passed through it during their stay in bethlehem. saint helena, who established churches across palestine during her time, is said to have established this one as well. the coptic archbishop of jerusalem purchased this and four nearby homes in the 1950s, establishing the monastery and re-establishing the church. today, the site is maintained by two nuns.
Solar Wheel
Working these eight pointed medallions is part craft/hobby and part ritual. I always work them sunwise/clockwise.
In slavic and Baltic textile traditions there are folk embroidery-calendars—stylized representations of the cycles of the sun and moon.
I have taken that folk tradition and used it in my own practice when I embroider eight pointed medallions:
Coptic & Byzantine water nymphs & Venus
This post is for anyone wondering: hey, are there Coptic and Byzantine depictions of mermaids, naiads, nereids? I mean, there’s lots of fish-tailed beings in ancient art, Triton was hella popular, and there’s lots of medieval mermaids… but what about all those centuries in between? What happened there, were people making art? The answer is yes. Let's take a look:
Birth of Venus, with nereids in attendance. Herakleopolis Magna, Egypt. Limestone relief. 395 - 641 CE. Byzantine. Louvre.
From Farag 1976.
Limestone segment of an arch; foliate decoration on the underside. The face depicts a nereid on the back of a dolphin with her scarf billowing above her head. Coptic. Production date 4th — 5th centuries CE. British Museum.
Nereid riding a dolphin or sea monster. 6th 7th century CE. Saqqara, Memphis, Egypt. British Museum.
Coptic. Top of an Arch with a Nymph Riding a Sea Monster, 5th–6th century C.E.. Limestone, pigment, 18 1/8 x 31 1/8 x 14 3/8 in. (46 x 79 x 36.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 41.1226. (Photo: Brooklyn Museum)
Mermaids or sirens, limestone relief, Recklinghausen. Note the crosses around their necks. Info from Farag 1976.
Monneret de Villard 1923.
Nereid riding a water monster. Monneret de Villard 1923.
Aphrodite Anadyomene, tapestry. 395 - 641 CE, Byzantine period. Findspot: Antinoé (?) Louvre.
Fabric with the image of a nereid riding a sea monster, Coptic fabric, VIII-IX centuries. Egypt. Material: wool, flax. State Hermitage Museum, St Petersburg.
Tapestry fragment with Nereids riding sea monsters. 5th-6th century CE, Egypt. Note the Nereid on the right is looking at her reflection in a mirror. This gesture was done by Aphrodite and Venus in antiquity, and later by mermaids in medieval art. Dumbarton Oaks.
Fresco unearthed at Bawit. The winged half-serpent is "daughter of Alabasandria". Coptic. Image via Wikipedia.
Pair of Kolti with Sirens, Byzantine Period, ca 843-1204 CE. Found in Kyiv. Dumbarton Oaks collection. These sirens have the traditional bird bodies from antiquity.
I normally do more research & analysis, but I didn't this time.
Sources
Farag, F. Rofail. “Is There Any Justification for the Existence of Coptic Art? Two Recent Critical Opinions.” Kunst Des Orients, vol. 11, no. 1-2, 1976, pp. 22–42.
Monneret de Villard, Ugo. La Scultura Ad Ahnâs : Note Sull’origine Dell’arte Copta. Tipografia della Reale accad. nazionale dei Lincei in Roma, 1923.
Coptic Votive Image of Saint Peter. Egypt, 400s to 600s CE.
Barakat Gallery.