The Cleveland Museum of Art
Collection Online as of April 18, 2024
Silk with Dogs and Arabic Script in Swaying Bands
1370–1400
Mounted: 46.4 x 69.2 cm (18 1/4 x 27 1/4 in.)
Dudley P. Allen Fund 1919.17
Location: not on view
Description
Arabic script was included in many Italian silk patterns during the 1300s and early 1400s. Usually a few unintelligible but decorative Arabic letters were repeated in the design, but here, the pseudo-Arabic script is prominently displayed in the scalloped bands that support trefoil palmettes. Dogs and birds are incorporated into the pattern in an Italian fashion. During the 1300s and 1400s, Arabic script was featured in luxurious silks woven in Islamic territories, where it symbolized royal power. Spain, Egypt, and to a lesser extent the former Islamic territory of Sicily all produced examples that could have influenced the international silk style created by Italian silk designers. In addition, weavers may also have reinforced the fashion; they migrated from Sicily to the silk-weaving city of Lucca and subsequently to Venice. In Italian painting, pseudo-Arabic script not only decorated the border of the Virgin's mantle, but it was also repeated in silks displayed in the backgrounds.- ?–1919(Dr. Meyer R. Riefstahl [1880–1936], New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)1919–The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- "Accessions." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 6, no. 2 (1919): 37-38. Mentioned: p. 37 www.jstor.org
- Venice: Silk and Lace. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 27-August 11, 1985).2000 Years of Silk Weaving. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 18-April 16, 1944).
- {{cite web|title=Silk with Dogs and Arabic Script in Swaying Bands|url=false|author=|year=1370–1400|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}
Source URL:
https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1919.17