COLLECTION NAME:
The AMICA Library
Record
AMICA ID:
CMA_.1982.16.a-b
AMICA Library Year:
2000
Object Type:
Textiles
Creator Nationality:
Spanish
Creator Name-CRT:
Spain, Granada, Nasrid period, 15th century
Title:
Curtain (left side)
Title Type:
Primary
View:
Full View
Creation Date:
15th century
Creation Start Date:
1400
Creation End Date:
1499
Materials and Techniques:
lampas weave with areas of compound tabby; silk
Style or Period:
Spain, Granada, Nasrid period, 15th century
Dimensions:
Overall: 438.15cm x 271.78cm
AMICA Contributor:
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Owner Location:
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
ID Number:
1982.16.a
ID Number:
1982.16.b
Credit Line:
Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
Inscriptions:
the bold knotted Kufic inscription in the top and bottom borders of the side panels repeats the Arabic word 'felicity.' Within the arches forming a frieze in the top border is a Kufic inscription 'good fortune' and a Naskhi inscription repeating trhe motto of the Nasrid dynasty, 'There is no conqueror but God.' In the borders of the three large ornamental rectangles on each side panel is the Naskhi inscription 'Dominion belongs to God alone.' On the central panel the inscriptions in the borders repeat the phrase, 'Majestry is God's,' while the Nasrid motto, 'There is no conqueror but God' and, above, 'Blessing,' are inscribed in the arabesque ogives.
Provenance:
(Miguel Rodriguez-Acosta, Granada).
Context:
This curtain was probably woven in Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in Spain. Not only was Granada a famous center of silk weaving, but the central and side panels of the curtain are inscribed with the motto of the Nasrid dynasty which ruled that city from 1231 to 1492. This is the largest, most complete and most ornate curtain to have survived from the Middle Ages when silk curtains were commonly hung from the windows, walls and beds of medieval palaces and castles. Its design is known to have been a standard one for curtains woven in Nasrid Spain during the 15th century, and if this curtain did not actually hang in the Alhambra Palace, it is undoubtedly the type of curtain that did.The curtain consists of three parts: a narrow central panel and two large side panels. Each side panel is a complete loom cloth with both selvages, starting edge and finishing edge. The bold knotted Kufic inscription in the top and bottom borders of the side panels repeats the Arabic word 'felicity.' Within the arches forming a frieze in the top border is a Kufic inscription 'good fortune' and a Naskhi inscription repeating trhe motto of the Nasrid dynasty, 'There is no conqueror but God.' In the borders of the three large ornamental rectangles on each side panel is the Naskhi inscription 'Dominion belongs to God alone.' On the central panel the inscriptions in the borders repeat the phrase, 'Majestry is God's,' while the Nasrid motto, 'There is no conqueror but God' and, above, 'Blessing,' are inscribed in the arabesque ogives.
Related Image Identifier Link:
CMA_.1982.16.a-b.tif
