Textiles

The internationally renowned textile collection contains about 4,500 textiles from 62 countries around the world that were made over four millennia, from 2000 BC to the present. The general emphasis is on masterpiece quality rather than comprehensive collections, with the greatest strengths dating before 1500. The most distinguished areas include textiles from Islamic lands (Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Spain, and Turkey), medieval China, Central Asia, and Italy as well as early lace and Peruvian South Coast textiles. In addition, contemporary fiber art is becoming increasingly important.