COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
Record
AMICA ID:
CMA_.1927.378
AMICA Library Year:
2002
Object Type:
Textiles
Creator Nationality:
European; Iberian; Spanish
Creator Name-CRT:
Islamic Spain, Granada, Nasrid period, 14th century
Title:
Fragment from a Large Curtain
Title Type:
Primary
View:
Back
Creation Date:
1300s
Creation Start Date:
1300
Creation End Date:
1399
Materials and Techniques:
Lampas: a combination of two weaves, twill weave and plain weave; silk
Classification Term:
Textiles
Dimensions:
Overall: 37.5cm x 24.8cm
AMICA Contributor:
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Owner Location:
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
ID Number:
1927.378
Credit Line:
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Inscriptions:
the principal field of geometric laceria forming stars and squares is bordered by a broad composite band (incomplete) consisting of central wide band with knotted Kufic inscription ("beatitude"), framed by narrower bands with knotwork, Naskhi inscriptions ("success and prosperity") in cartouches and crenallations.
Provenance:
(Adolph Loewi, Venice).
Context:
The ability to combine different designs and colors harmoniously was one of the unparalleled achievements of Islamic art. This silk curtain fragment reveals juxtapositions of large and small scaled designs with curving and angular lines, all woven with bold colors in bands of varying widths. The contrasts are featured in the upper design of large squares positioned to form eight-pointed stars, in the narrow band with ivory-silk cursive script offering "good fortune and prosperity," and in the wide band with large yellow-silk kufic script extending "beatitude." A rare, complete contemporary silk curtain in the museum's collection (see photo) displays another method of organizing designs.
Related Image Identifier Link:
CMA_.AM20020245.tif
