Textile Fragment from the Tomb of Don Felipe

Unknown

second half 13th century · Silk, linen, metal wrapped thread; taqueté · Islamic Art

Part of a corpus of identical fragments, this Andalusian textile belonged to the mantle that was interred with Don Felipe Infante (d. 1274), son of Ferdinand II and brother of Alfonso X, thirteenth-century kings of Castile. The composition consists of registers containing repeating rosettes with geometric interlace against a gold background. The most prominent band features a kufic inscription, al-Yumn (felicity), in mirror image. Opulent textiles, probably manufactured in a Muslim production center, were regularly used for garments or furnishings and placed in Christian royal burials, reflecting the esteem with which Andalusian fabrics were regarded.

Artist

Unknown

Date

second half 13th century

Medium

Silk, linen, metal wrapped thread; taqueté

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Fletcher Fund, 1946