Coptic Textiles from the Architect Milan Kovač’s Private Collection

This article aims to reconstruct the circumstances surrounding the purchase and preservation history of a previously unknown collection of Coptic textiles from the private holdings of architect Milan Kovač (b. 1940). Acquired during Kovač’s study trip to Egypt and Sudan in 1964, the textiles were obtained from a souvenir seller he met while wandering around Cairo. The seller claimed they originated from an ancient rubbish dump in the Fustat area, Cairo’s oldest historic district and the first Islamic capital of Egypt, renowned for its archaeological significance and as an important hub for textile production. The collection of Coptic textiles that Kovač has held in private possession for six decades has undergone minimal conservation efforts and remains in urgent need of restoration. The article outlines the collection’s authentication, analysis, and conservation plans. The paper concludes with the first-ever publication of photographs of the entire collection.