Textile Medallion

Unknown

6th century · Silk; twill · Islamic Art

Textiles like this one were produced in the pre-Islamic Sasanian empire, which ruled Persia from A.D. 224 to 651. The designs of Sasanian weavers continued to inspire textiles during the early centuries of the Islamic period. This textile fragment displays a design executed in orange and ivory silk against a blue silk ground; stylized plant motifs fill the four corners, and the central roundel is filled with a large plump bird depicted in profile. The bird wears a pearl-studded crescent on its breast and holds a jeweled necklace in its beak—an emblem of Sasanian royalty.

Artist

Unknown

Date

6th century

Medium

Silk; twill

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Gift of George F. Baker, 1890