The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of January 18, 2025

Striped tiraz

Striped tiraz

1049–50
plain weave with inwoven tapestry weave: linen and silk
Overall: 41 x 24.1 cm (16 1/8 x 9 1/2 in.); Mounted: 47 x 30.5 cm (18 1/2 x 12 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1950.528
Location: not on view

Description

This rare striped, lightweight linen cloth was probably worn wrapped as a turban with the decorated end shown off in the front. The small birds in roundels appear to be mythological harpies with human faces. The Arabic text written with letters ending in fancy trefoils contains historical data, known as tiraz. The complete text generally includes Muslim blessings, the name of the ruler, and the place and date of manufacture. The lower line reads, "Help from Allah to the servant and friend of Allah, Ma’add Abu Tamin the Imam a[l-Mustansir bi-Allah]. . . ." The upper line reads, ". . . al-barakat al-Husayn bin al-Shaykh(?) ‘Imam al-Dawlah Muhammad bin [Ahmad]. . . ."
  • ?-1950
    (Dr. Emil Delmar [1876-1959], Budapest, Hungary, and New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art)
    1950-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Institut français d'archéologie orientale du Caire, Etienne Combe, Jean Sauvaget, and Gaston Wiet. Répertoire chronologique d'épigraphie arabe. Le Caire: Impr. de l'Institut français d'archéologie orientale, volume VII, 1936. no. 2547
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 213 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 269 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. 106, fig. 3.23; Mentioned: P. 107
  • 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=Striped tiraz|url=false|author=|year=1049–50|access-date=18 January 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1950.528