Artwork Page for Fragment with palmette arches with Alhambra wall pattern

Details / Information for Fragment with palmette arches with Alhambra wall pattern

Fragment with palmette arches with Alhambra wall pattern

1300s

Spain, Granada

Medium
Silk and gilt-metal thread: lampas weave
Measurements
Overall: 48.3 x 25.4 cm (19 x 10 in.); Mounted: 58.1 x 35.2 cm (22 7/8 x 13 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1939.35
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Description

This rare, gold-thread silk displays a sophisticated pattern that also decorates the stucco walls of the Alhambra, the imperial palace in Granada. Three superimposed designs form the harmonious pattern on the golden ground. Split-palmette leaves in ivory or green silk form staggered arches displaying a crimson text, Good fortune, written in angular Arabic script with extended strokes that create secondary symmetrical arches. Deep blue palmette leaves create the third level of decoration. The interior walls of the Alhambra would have shimmered with these warm, patterned textiles.
A vertically long woven textile fragment of silk and metal thread features two columns of pointed arches outlined in muted red and pale green. Against a golden background, fan-shaped floral motifs in red and blue rise from lattice-patterned circular bases. Interlocking lines and pseudo-script connect the arches across the surface. The textile is frayed along the top and right edges, with the gold showing signs of wear and tarnish.

Fragment with palmette arches with Alhambra wall pattern

1300s

Spain, Granada

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