Textile Fragment

Unknown

second half 13th–14th century · Silk, silvered (?) animal substrate wound around a cotton core; lampas · Islamic Art

Opulent textiles woven of silk and gold threads, referred to as "cloth of gold" were treasured by the Mongol elite and rulers of the subsequent Ilkhanid dynasty (1256–1353). The most luxurious were gold-on-gold fabrics, where both pattern and background were woven in differing types of gold thread. This fragment, exhibiting a shimmering pattern against a blue satin ground, while slightly less opulent, still ranks among the most lavish textiles of its day.

Artist

Unknown

Date

second half 13th–14th century

Medium

Silk, silvered (?) animal substrate wound around a cotton core; lampas

Department

Islamic Art

Credit line

Purchase, Friends of Islamic Art Gifts, 1996