The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of February 5, 2023

Square Ornament from a Tunic

700s

Egypt or Syria, Umayyad period (661–750) or Abbasid period

(750–1258)

Silk; complementary weft-faced twill weave with inner warps (samite)

Overall: 23.5 x 24.2 cm (9 1/4 x 9 1/2 in.); Mounted: 31.1 x 31.8 cm (12 1/4 x 12 1/2 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1947.192

Location

not on view

Fun Fact

Seen as a prized decoration, designs like this were often cut out of older textiles and stitched onto unisex linen tunics.

Description

The folded edges on all four sides of this luxury silk fragment indicate that it decorated a unisex linen tunic. The symmetrical deer with suckling fawn flanking a simplified central tree of life continues an ancient theme in a naturalistic style. The roundel is connected on all four sides and displays heart-shaped floral borders. This fragment is said to have been found in Akhmim, Egypt, south of Cairo, where, during the 1880s, numerous related silk fragments were excavated.

Provenance
?–1947
(Dikran G. Kelekian [1867–1951], New York, NY sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
1947–
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
Citations
Shepherd, Dorothy. "A Silk Fabric from Egypt." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 34, no. 8 (1947): 196-99. www.jstor.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 68 archive.org
Beckwith, John. Caskets from Cordoba. [Victoria and Albert Museum Publications, 1958-1960]. London: H.M. Stationery Office, 1960. p. 26, fig. 28
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 32 archive.org
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 32 archive.org
Held, Shirley E. Weaving: A Handbook for Fiber Craftsmen. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1973. p. 36, fig. 60
The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 41 archive.org
Keasbey, Doramay. Pattern Devices for Handweavers. Bethesda, MD (5031 Alta Vista Rd., Bethesda 20814): D. Keasbey, 1981. p. 15, pl. 35
Neils, Jenifer. "The Twain Shall Meet." The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 72, no. 6 (1985): 326-59. p. 358, no, 59 www.jstor.org
Exhibition history

Masterpieces of the Weaver's Art. Hackley Art Gallery, Muskegon, MI (October 7-November 4, 1957).

The Twain Shall Meet. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 30, 1985-January 5, 1986).

Textiles from Egypt, Syria and Spain: 7th through 15th centuries. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 26-June 6, 1991).

Coptic Textile Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 12, 2016-May 22, 2017).

Coptic Textile Rotation Gallery 106. The Cleveland Museum of Art (organizer) (November 18, 2021-November 13, 2022).

Source URL: https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1947.192