The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 26, 2024

Turban end with tiraz

Turban end with tiraz

983–990
plain weave with inwoven tapestry weave: linen and silk
Overall: 49.5 x 151.1 cm (19 1/2 x 59 1/2 in.); Mounted: 60.3 x 161.9 cm (23 3/4 x 63 3/4 in.)
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1950.354
Location: not on view

Description

This finely woven linen cloth, dyed a cherished pistachio color, was cut from a longer fabric worn folded and wrapped as a turban with the silk tapestry-woven decoration shown off in the front. It contains two opposing rows of nearly identical Arabic text separated by a row of medallions displaying a pair of birds. The historical text begins by praising Allah, asking that he assist the Caliph al-‘Aziz and bless him and his ancestors. The inscription also specifies that the vizier Abu ibn Yusuf ordered the cloth from the private factory (tiraz) in Tinnis. This luxurious cloth could have been a gift from the caliph in Cairo during the Fatimid period to a courtier or visiting dignitary. It is one of the finest known examples.
  • Wadsworth Atheneum, Adelyn Dohme Breeskin, and Charles Crehore Cunningham. 2000 Years of Tapestry Weaving: A Loan Exhibition : Wadsworth Atheneum, Hartford, Dec. 7, 1951 to Jan. 27, 1952 ; the Baltimore Museum of Art, Feb. 27, 1952 to Mar. 25, 1952. Hartford, Conn: Wardsworth Atheneum], 1951. no. 55
    Kühnel, Ernst. Four Remarkable Ṭirāz Textiles. [Locust Valley, N.J.]: [J.J. Augustin], 1952. p. 147-48, pl. XXVII, fig.1
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 691 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 213 archive.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. 96-97, fig. 3.12; Mentioned: P. 97-98, 103
    McWilliams, Mary, and Jochen A. Sokoly. Social Fabrics: Inscribed Textiles from Medieval Egyptian Tombs. Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard Art Museums, 2021. Mentioned: p. 26, 53 and 95; Reproduced: opposite title page, p.27, fig. 12, p. 53, fig 4 and p.94
  • Social Fabrics: Inscribed Textiles from Egyptian Tombs, 9th - 12th Century. Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, MA (organizer) (January 22-May 8, 2022) https://harvardartmuseums.org/exhibitions/5836/social-fabrics-inscribed-textiles-from-medieval-egyptian-tombs.
    Islamic art rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (December 16, 2013-December 15, 2014).
    Gallery 207 textile rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (June 20, 2002-May 5, 2004).
    Textiles from Egypt, Syria and Spain: 7th through 15th centuries. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 26-June 6, 1991).
  • {{cite web|title=Turban end with tiraz|url=false|author=|year=983–990|access-date=26 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1950.354