Cuff Band with Bust of a Female

Unknown

late 7th–9th century · Linen, wool; tapestry weave · Islamic Art

The five-part design of this cuff band became popular in the sixth century and is found on garments of both silk and tapestry weave. At center the bust of a woman, probably a personification, fills a roundel; she wears a colorful, ornamented tunic. To either side a vine scroll with birds and gazelles fills the double registers. The border of the band is formed by a series of interlocking leaves, heavily outlined in black - a frequently occurring motif in early Islamic art. The juxtaposition of highly stylized vegetal forms (the leaf border and the vine scroll separating the double registers) and flattened, two-dimensional figures (the woman's upper body) with more rounded, naturalistic forms (her head and the surrounding animals) is characteristic of art produced from the sixth to the eighth century.

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 7th–9th century

Medium

Linen, wool; tapestry weave

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1909