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Fragment

1420–1955

Iran or Iraq

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Medium
compound twill weave, silk
Measurements
Overall: 25.3 x 79 cm (9 15/16 x 31 1/8 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1968.225.b
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print
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Did You Know?

The design is at right angles to warp.

Description

The weave provides different design for each side. On the front, the overall lozenge pattern has alternating rows of ornamented ovals and diamonds. The large diamonds have a large four-leaved motif super-imposed over a diamond with trees in each corner. The foliate ground with four pairs of opposed griffins fills the interspaces to the oval border. The diamonds have two opposed pairs of birds each flanking a Tree of Life and standing on a plant motif; these enclose a smaller central diamond with trees in each corner and a central square.

On the reverse, the plain ground of natural tan has two brown bands in large and small Kufic inscription.
A horizontally oriented fragment of muted brown silk textile is patterned with interlocking dark brown diamond compartments. Pairs of birdlike creatures face each other inside these shapes, surrounded by dense, leaf-like ornamentation. The cloth is heavily distressed, featuring frayed edges and several large horizontal tears through the center. Tan and dark-brown tones dominate the tattered surface, where the repetitive motifs maintain a sense of symmetry despite the material's significant wear.

Fragment

1420–1955

Iran or Iraq

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