Karanis / rag doll / Flax / Wool

About this Item

Record Details

Object Identifier: 0000.00.7513
Object Name: rag doll
Lot: University of Michigan excavation (Karanis)
Collections: Kelsey Permanent Artifact Collections
Object Type: Dolls; Toys
Materials: Flax; Wool
Length: 11.5 cm;11;;
Width: 9.5 cm;;12;
Height: 2.5 cm;;;
Thickness: ;;;
Weight: ;;;16.28g
Pierced: no
Inscribed: no
Full Artifact Description: Brown and black cloth. Head formed by strips of alternating color wrapped around brown round center. Neck tied with string and body wrapped by string. Stick tied across front of body for arms. Brown cloak with attached hood draped over body and arms.; Doll made from five fragments of woven wool fabric.; Fragment A - outer layer of doll’s “head” and two inner layers. Yellowed warp, purple weft. Alternates with fragment B.; Fragment B - center of doll’s “head” and two other layers. Yellowed warp and weft. Alternates with fragment A.; Fragment C - pale brown warp and weft. Used for an outer tunic.; Fragment D - pale brown/gold warp and weft. Used for hood on tunic.; Fragment E - 2-ply undyed linen warp, purple weft with linen weft-wrapping and slit tapestry. Wefts encircle the warp at one edge. Probably all part of a tapestry. Sewn to the hood.; Fragments A and B were folded and placed around a piece of B that forms the center of the doll’s “head”. The dyed and undyed fragments alternate, with a piece of fragment A on the outside. A yellowed yarn was wrapped tightly around the doll from the “neck” down. A flat piece of wood was attached to this lower body with the same yellowed yarn which goes over the stick at either side of the body and wraps around the back of the body several times. (see detail photo 7513P3) Fragment C has a slit in the center for the doll’s “head” and covers the arms and lower body to form a tunic. Fragment D was sewn to the tunic to use as a hood and fragment E was sewn to the hood. There is a brown stitch at the doll’s neck.
Subjects: Human
Unit Grid Number: C0019
Area: R:A
Verbatim Provenance: Egypt
Verbatim Site: Karanis
Production Site: site
Countermark: no
Condition Notes: Somewhat dirty and very worn. Damaged wefts in the outer layer of fragment A leave exposed warps. There are loose yarns around the edges of the tunic and hood. There are two very small metal pins (modern) in either side of the tunic near the wood “arms”. There are a few small groups of white cotton fiber at various places on the doll, possibly cotton batting from storage.
Fabric Structure: Weft-faced plain weave. Tapestry and weft-wrapping in fragment E only.
Border Type: none
Selvedge Type: none
Sewing: There is a brown stitch, 0.3 cm, at the front of the doll’s “neck”. The hood is attached to the tunic and fragment E is attached to the hood with thick yellow single yarn. There are several overhand knots. Both sides of the top of the hood were sewn together with the same yarn. The stitches are from 0.4 cm to 0.8 cm long. There are overcast stitches, 0.4 cm to 0.5 cm, along the edge of the tapestry (fragment E) where wefts encircle the warp.
Yarn #: 7513.WA.01;7513.WE.01;7513.WA.02;7513.WE.02;7513.WA.03;7513.WE.03;7513.WA.04;7513.WE.04;7513.WA.05;7513.WE.05;7513.WE.06;7513.YN.01;7513.YN.02;7513.YN.03;7513.YN.04
Function: warp - fragment A;weft - fragment A;warp - fragment B;weft - fragment B;warp - fragment C;weft - fragment C;warp - fragment D;weft - fragment D;warp - fragment E;weft - fragment E;weft-twining and tapestry - fragment E;yarn wrapped around doll’s lower body and wood arms;stitch at doll’s “neck”;sewing - hood;sewing - fragment E
Color: off white/deeply yellowed (OITH);dark blue/purple (532D);off white/deeply yellowed (OITH);off white/deeply yellowed (OITH);pale brown (USZOL) with some dark fibers blended in;pale brown (USZOL);pale brown/gold (464);pale brown/gold (464);medium brown (469);pale purple (438);medium brown (469);off white/lightly yellowed (465);medium brown (469);off white/lightly yellowed (465);off white/yellowed (OITHL)
Yarns/cm: 11;46;13 (one count only);44 (one count only);10;40;11;44;10;38;too few for accurate count;;;;
Structure: single;single;single;single;single;single;single;single;2-ply;single;single;single;single, used doubled;single;single, used doubled
Spin: s;s;s;s;s;s;s;s;ssZ;z;s;s;s;s;s
Twist Level: varies, med - high;low;med;low;high;high;high;low;high;med;low;varies, med - high;med;varies, med - low;high
Fiber: wool;wool;wool;wool;wool;wool;wool;wool;flax;wool;flax;wool;wool;wool;wool
Exhibition Title: Case 22 - Michigan Excavations BL Drawer Toys
Exhibition Curator: Wilfong, Terry
Exhibition Year: 2010
Publication Title: Objects of Daily Use; Agyptische Puppen aus romischer bis fruharabischer Zeif
Publication Author: Petrie, Sir W. M. Flinders; Fluck, Cacilia
Publication Year: 0000; 2004
Type Category: Textile

Technical Details

Collection: Kelsey Museum of Archaeology Art & Artifact Collection
Image Size: 2272 x 1704
File Size: 270 KB
Record: 0000.00.7513
Link to this Item: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/kelsey/x-0000.00.7513/0000_00_7513p03.tif

Rights and Permissions

The University of Michigan Library provides access to these materials for educational and research purposes. These materials may be protected by copyright. If you decide to use any of these materials, you are responsible for making your own legal assessment and securing any necessary permission. If you have questions about the collection, please contact the Kelsey Museum of Archeology. If you have concerns about the inclusion of an item in this collection, please contact Library Information Technology.

IIIF

Manifest: https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/i/image/api/manifest/kelsey:0000.00.7513:0000_00_7513P03.TIF

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Full citation: "Karanis; rag doll; Flax; Wool." In the digital collection Kelsey Museum of Archaeology Art & Artifact Collection. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/kelsey/x-0000.00.7513/0000_00_7513p03.tif. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 25, 2024.

Karanis / rag doll / Flax / Wool

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