The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of August 5, 2020

Square Ornament from a Tunic

8th century

Egypt or Syria, Umayyad period, 8th century

Compound twill weave, silk

Average: 23.5 x 24.2 cm (9 1/4 x 9 1/2 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1947.192

Location

not on view

Description

This ornament from a tunic records the survival into the Islamic period of two very ancient themes. One is the motif of deer flanking a Tree of Life, which originated in the ancient Near East and later migrated to the Mediterranean. The other is the suckling fawn, which occurs in Egyptian art as early as the pharaonic period. Nevertheless, the Islamic date of the silk is indicated by the presence of Arabic inscriptions on related silks. The naturalistic, graceful style of the deer and the leaves is characteristic of the art of the first Islamic dynasty, the Umayyad (661–750).

Provenance
found in Akhmim. (Dikran G. Kelekian, New York).
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).

Source URL: https://cmaweb23-bbn-2.clevelandart.org/art/1947.192