Textile Fragment

Unknown

mid-16th century · Silk and metal wrapped yarns; compound weave Satin and twill interconnected · Islamic Art

This textile fragment depicts a dramatic image of a dragon moving among jagged rocks. In its complete form, it originally would have also depicted a hunter aiming a large rock at the dragon. The dragon was a popular subject for miniature painters, upon whose illustrations textiles like this one were based. The design of this example is brilliantly conceived; a highly skilled artist must have designed the cartoon for this ferocious scene of the mythical monster.

Artist

Unknown

Date

mid-16th century

Medium

Silk and metal wrapped yarns; compound weave Satin and twill interconnected

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Rogers Fund, 1909