The Hestia Tapestry Wool, first half of 6th Century CE, Egypt. Dimensions: 136.5 cm x 114 cm/53.7in

The Hestia Tapestry Wool, first half of 6th Century CE, Egypt. Dimensions: 136.5 cm x 114 cm/53.7in x 44.9in. Location: Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington DC (X). Scan from “Documents of Dying Paganism: Textiles of Late Antiquity” by Paul Friedländer, 1945. Photo: Doktor Faustus via Wikimedia Commons (X). Image License: Public Domain in the United States.The central figure is captioned Hestia Polyolbos (”Hestia Rich in Blessings”).  Hestia is the Greek goddess of the home and hearth. In Hellenistic Egypt, she was associated with Anuket (or Anukis), goddess of the rapids of the Nile. Hestia is depicted wearing Byzantine garments and jewelry, and is crowned with a wreath or tiara of pomegranates. She is distributing blessings to her attendants who resemble putti, divine messengers from classical mythology. The gifts are euphrosyne (“mirth”), euochia ( “good cheer”), prokope (“prosperity”), ploutos ( “wealth”), eulogia (“blessing”), and arete (“virtue”). Two larger figures stand at each side; the one to Hestia’s left holds a placard labeled phos (“light”). Classicist Paul Friedlander believed that this tapestry was an object of household devotion, in spite of the decrees issued by Emperor Theodosius I a little over a century earlier, in 392 CE, forbidding all practices of traditional religion, including private rites, offerings of wine and incense, candles, and the veneration of statues. Friedlander’s view has been criticized by other scholars, though there is evidence to suggest the farther from Rome and Constantinople, the less likely Theodosius’ decrees were to be obeyed.Sources:Hanging with Hestia, Dunbarton OaksHestia Polyolbos tapestry, Feminae: Medieval Women and Gender IndexClick here for other Coptic textiles with designs from Greek mythology. -- source link

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