Fragment with Satyr and Maenad

This tapestry ranks among the crowning achievements of 4th-century Egyptian textiles. These sculptural figures originally stood with many others under an arcade more than 24 feet wide. Halos proclaim the special status of the graceful satyr, identified in Greek, who is dressed in a spotted skin standing beside an elegant nude maenad adorned with gold jewelry. Satyrs and maenads were followers of Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, whose cult flourished especially in Egypt among the educated of all religions. Presumably this extravagant hanging was commissioned for cultic or theatrical festivities.