The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 23, 2024

Alhambra hanging fragment with decorated bands

Alhambra hanging fragment with decorated bands

1300s
Silk: lampas and taqueté weave
Overall: 37.8 x 25.1 cm (14 7/8 x 9 7/8 in.); Mounted: 46.7 x 28.9 cm (18 3/8 x 11 3/8 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1927.378
Location: not on view

Description

The ability to harmoniously combine intricate designs and varied colors was one of the unparalleled achievements of Islamic art. This silk curtain fragment reveals juxtapositions of large- and small-scaled patterns, woven with bold contrasting colors in bands of varying widths.

Segments of Arabic text have been woven into the design. The repeated phrase good fortune and prosperity is woven in ivory silk in one of the narrow bands. In the wide band at the bottom, Kufic script in yellow silk extends the word beatitude.
  • ?-1927
    (Adolph Loewi [1888-1977], Venice, Italy, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1927-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Underhill, Gertrude. "A Group of Hispano-Moresque Silks." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 15, no. 3 (1928): 68-74. p. 68, 74 www.jstor.org
    Mackie, Louise W. Symbols of Power: Luxury Textiles from Islamic Lands, 7th-21st Century. Cleveland; New Haven: Cleveland Museum of Art; Yale University Press, 2015. Reproduced: P. 197, fig. 529; P. 203, fig. 5.36; Mentioned: P. 198, 200
    "New in the Galleries.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine vol. 59, no. 6 (November/December 2019): Back cover. Reproduced and Mentioned: Back cover.
  • Al-Andalus: Art from Islamic Spain (Islamic art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 29, 2019-October 25, 2020).
    Islamic Gallery 207 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 19, 2001-June 3, 2002).
    Gallery 207 textile rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (June 19, 2001-June 3, 2002).
    Textiles from Egypt, Syria and Spain: 7th through 15th centuries. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 26-June 6, 1991).
    2000 Years of Silk Weaving. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (March 18-April 16, 1944).
    The Silver Jubilee Exhibition. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (June 23-September 28, 1941).
  • {{cite web|title=Alhambra hanging fragment with decorated bands|url=false|author=|year=1300s|access-date=23 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1927.378