- Title
- Textile Fragment
- Date Made
- 8th-9th century
- Medium
- Linen plain weave with linen-warp and silk-weft tapestry weave
- Dimensions
- 11 3/4 x 5 1/2 in. (29.845 x 13.97 cm)
Strainer: 12 1/2 × 18 3/8 × 1 1/8 in. (31.75 × 46.67 × 2.86 cm)
Frame: 13 1/4 × 19 1/16 × 2 5/16 in. (33.66 × 48.42 × 5.87 cm)
- Accession Number
- M.73.5.641
- Collecting Area
- Costume and Textiles
- Curatorial Notes
Textiles from the first centuries of the Islamic era survive mainly in the form of fragments, which nonetheless provide important information about visual culture during this transitional period. They demonstrate that the art of the preceding Late Antique era persisted, as artists who had lately worked under Byzantine and Sasanian patronage continued to follow preexisting conventions but under the new faith and leadership.
Apart from its linen material, this textile fragment is closely tied to Sasanian traditions. The beaded border above and below the central band is decorated with birds in medallions alternating with an abstract motif reminiscent of the paired wings of the Sasanian crown; the latter was a common theme in art of the early Islamic era (also see M.73.5.238). Sasanian textiles were part of the transnational trade in the eastern Mediterranean, so these clearly Persian-inspired design elements may have been assimilated by Egyptian weavers prior to the advent of Islam, suggesting continuity with Late Antique art.
2024
