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Object Label

This slender arch, carved in five segments, is designed as a repeating pattern of paired birds, possibly doves, standing back-to-back on either side of a flowering plant, with their heads turned toward each other. A slightly larger version of the plant separates each pair of birds from the next. Since it could not have supported architectural weight, this arch may have lined a larger, sturdier arch, or it may have decorated a flat wall.

Caption

Coptic. Arch in Five Segments, ca. 6th century C.E.. Limestone, 65 15/16 x 81 1/8 in. (167.5 x 206 cm) 45.131a: 6 5/16 x 42 1/2 x 4 3/4 in. (16 x 108 x 12 cm) 45.131b: 6 1/2 x 30 5/16 x 4 3/4 in. (16.5 x 77 x 12 cm) 45.131c: 6 11/16 x 33 7/8 x 4 5/8 in. (17 x 86 x 11.8 cm) 45.131d: 6 13/16 x 27 9/16 x 4 1/2 in. (17.3 x 70 x 11.5 cm) 45.131e: 6 1/2 x 33 1/4 x 4 3/4 in. (16.5 x 84.5 x 12 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund, 45.131a-e. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 45.131a_PS1.jpg)

Culture

Coptic

Title

Arch in Five Segments

Date

ca. 6th century C.E.

Period

Late Antique Period

Geography

Reportedly from: Ahnas (Ehnasya), Egypt

Medium

Limestone

Classification

Tiles

Dimensions

65 15/16 x 81 1/8 in. (167.5 x 206 cm) 45.131a: 6 5/16 x 42 1/2 x 4 3/4 in. (16 x 108 x 12 cm) 45.131b: 6 1/2 x 30 5/16 x 4 3/4 in. (16.5 x 77 x 12 cm) 45.131c: 6 11/16 x 33 7/8 x 4 5/8 in. (17 x 86 x 11.8 cm) 45.131d: 6 13/16 x 27 9/16 x 4 1/2 in. (17.3 x 70 x 11.5 cm) 45.131e: 6 1/2 x 33 1/4 x 4 3/4 in. (16.5 x 84.5 x 12 cm)

Credit Line

Charles Edwin Wilbour Fund

Accession Number

45.131a-e

Rights

Creative Commons-BY

You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.

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