Image: McMullen Museum of Art, Tellalian Collection

Dated between the fifth and seventh centuries, this 7 x 7.5-inch Egyptian roundel, crafted of wool on undyed linen, adorned a burial tunic of the Coptic era when Egypt was a Roman province. The bejeweled woman at the center of the cross, adorned with a halo and a crown, is thought to be either a Christian saint or Tyche, the Greek goddess of fortune. Coptic objects often gave off “mixed messages,” noted McMullen director Nancy Netzer in an interview posted on the Boston College Libraries website. “They said one thing to Christians . . . other things to Egyptians [and] pagans. They were helpful to people who were hedging their bets.” The piece is among 34 Coptic textiles presented to the McMullen Museum in April 2018, along with a 129-volume related library, by Newton collectors Donald and Barbara Tellalian. The museum is planning a digital monograph about the textiles.