- Title
- Tiraz (Inscribed Textile) Fragment
- Date Made
- 11th-12th century
- Period
- Fatimid (909-1171)
- Medium
- Silk tapestry weave on plain weave linen
- Dimensions
- 15 3/4 × 10 in. (40.01 × 25.4 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.65.29
- Collecting Area
- Costume and Textiles
- Curatorial Notes
Tiraz, meaning “embroidery” in Persian, is a term used to describe textiles from the medieval period bearing Arabic inscriptions. However, some examples, such as this one, do not include inscriptions and instead relate to the wider tiraz group through their banded decoration. Cloth of this type was especially common in Fatimid Egypt, the time and place to which this fragment belongs. It features alternating bands of geometric, floral, and animal motifs, including rabbits and birds. The rabbit was an extremely popular motif from the Late Antique period well into the Islamic era, particularly under the Fatimid dynasty (909−1171). It is found on a range of materials, including textiles, ceramics (M.73.5.272), woodwork (for a slightly earlier example, see M.2002.1.754), and metalwork (M.76.97.882).
2025
