Ugly Object of the Month – August | Kelsey Museum

https://kelseymuseum.wordpress.com/2016/08/02/ugly-object-of-the-month-august-2/
cperson01 wrote:

BY SUZANNE DAVIS, Curator of Conservation, Kelsey Museum of Archaeology

 

Sleeve from a child's tunic. Wool. 2nd – 4th c AD. KMA 13995.

 

This month's Ugly is a hideous but sweet little specimen: the ripped sleeve of a child's tunic. It looks pretty bad. It's the kind of raggy little thing which, if you found it in your house, you'd probably throw away. And in fact, that seems to be what happened: when University of Michigan excavated Karanis, Egypt in the 1920s, the team found this in the ancient town's street.

This grotty little rag will soon be featured in the exhibit Less Than Perfect, on view at the Kelsey August 26, 2016 through January 8, 2017. The exhibit explores three themes: failed perfection, deliberate imperfection, and – my favorite – restoring perfection. The sleeve occupies this latter category, because of the elbow patch designed to extend the life of the garment.

Was the sleeve ever perfect? This seems debatable to me, but its seamstress did take care to make it attractive. The rolled hem is nicely finished with an overcast stitch in a contrasting red thread, and the elbow patch or applique (originally twice as big as what remains today) has an interesting woven design in blue and cream.

Today, of course, the wool has yellowed, the sleeve is ripped, the seams have failed, and half the original patch is missing altogether, as is the rest of the tunic. But I can imagine that someone treasured it for a long time, before finally giving up on the garment and throwing the remains in the street. Come see this cute-ugly bit of ancient detritus for yourself!

 

 

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