The striped textiles of Yemen were famous throughout the Islamic world. They were made in the resist-dye ikat technique to form patterns of chevrons and diamonds. Inscriptions on Yemeni ikats are often painted, as in this example. The inscription here, in decorative kufic, includes the bismallah and blessings to the owner. Although several textiles of this type contain inscriptions pointing to Yemen as the place of production, very few have caliphal inscriptions. The inscriptions here mention the son of the Abbasid caliph al-Munstasir (r. 861–63), who was a governor of several Arab provinces including Yemen.
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Dimensions:Textile: L. 23 in. (58.4 cm) W. 21 3/4 in. (55.2 cm) Mount: H. 34 1/4 in. (87 cm) W. 24 1/4 in. (61.6 cm) D. 1 1/2 in. (3.8 cm)
Classification:Textiles-Painted and/or Printed
Credit Line:Gift of George D. Pratt, 1929
Object Number:29.179.10
Textile Fragment, Probably from a Shawl
Yemeni fabrics were known throughout the medieval Islamic world for their style and strength. The characteristic pattern seen in this textile results from the ikat technique. Cotton warp threads in shades of brown, blue, and white are bundled together and resist-dyed before being woven. The ikat-dyed threads are then arranged on the loom so as to form a pattern of arrowheads and diamonds. Thin brown cotton weft threads weave the pattern together.
The decoration of Yemeni ikats is especially fascinating. Inscriptions are usually either embroidered or gilded and outlined with black ink. The gilded kufic script shown here is painted and floriated almost to the point of illegibility. It has no parallel in other weaving traditions, although its characteristic epigraphical style is echoed on ceramic vessels from northeastern Persia. One wonders whether the idea of plaited kufic, itself perhaps a metaphor for weaving, originated with Yemeni weavers or whether it came from Samanid potters and was copied in Yemen.
The Metropolitan textile and other gilded ikats are dated and attributed to Yemen by association with the single extant historically dated ikat, which is located at the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland ikat contains a legible inscription with the name of an imam of Yemen, Yusuf b. Yahya, who reigned from A.D. 955 to 1003. The plaited kufic script in the Cleveland fragment is much less flamboyant, probably so that its historical inscription could be more legible. The inscription on the Metropolitan textile assumes that a viewer would understand its meaning; it is written more loosely, allowing the ornamented kufic to sprout and grow more freely. The generic blessing of this ikat suggests that it was destined for the open market.
[Walker and Froom, 1992]
Cotton Ikat Fragment with Tiraz Inscription
Yemeni fabrics were known throughout the medieval Islamic world for their style and strength. The pattern seen in this textile is characteristic of the ikat technique. Cotton warp threads in shades of brown, blue, and white are bundled together and resist-dyed before being woven. The ikat-dyed threads are then arranged on the loom to form a pattern of arrowheads and diamonds. Thin brown cotton weft threads weave the pattern together. Famous in the tenth century, Yemeni ikats were often imitated in Iran and Egypt.
Yemeni ikats are decorated with tiraz, or bands of Arabic inscription usually either embroidered or gilded and outlined with black ink. The gilded Kufic script shown here is plaited and floriated almost to the point of illegibility. It has no parallel in other weaving traditions, although its characteristic epigraphical style is echoed on ceramic vessels from northeastern Persia. It is unclear whether the idea of plaited kufic, itself perhaps a metaphor for weaving, originated with Yemeni weavers or whether it came from Samanid potters and was copied in Yemen.
The Metropolitan Museum textile and other gilded ikats are dated and attributed to Yemen by association with the single extant historically dated ikat, which is located in the Cleveland Museum of Art. The plaited Kufic script in the Cleveland fragment is much less flamboyant, probably so that its historical inscription could be more legible. The inscription on the Metropolitan Museum textile is written more losely and assumes that a viewer would understand its meaning. It reads: "[In the name of] God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Blessing to the owner"; "Kingship"; and far below, "'Ali". The generic blessing of this ikat suggests that it was destined for the open market.
Aimee Froom in [Walker et al. 1994]
Inscription: Arabic inscription in kufic script: [In the name of] God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Blessing to the owner Above: Kingdom is God's Far below: 'Ali
George D. Pratt, New York (until 1929; gifted to MMA)
New York. The Hagop Kevorkian Special Exhibitions Gallery, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. "Tiraz: Inscribed Textiles from Islamic Workshops," December 15, 1992–March 14, 1993, no. 3.
Mexico City. Colegio de San Ildefonso. "Arte Islámico del Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Nueva York," September 30, 1994–January 8, 1995, no. 113.
Walker, Daniel S., and Aimee Froom. "Exhibition Notebook." In Tiraz: Inscribed Textiles from Islamic Workshops.. New York, NY: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1992. no. 3, pp. 14–15.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Daniel S. Walker, Arturo Ponce Guadián, Sussan Babaie, Stefano Carboni, Aimee Froom, Marie Lukens Swietochowski, Tomoko Masuya, Annie Christine Daskalakis-Matthews, Abdallah Kahli, and Rochelle Kessler. "Colegio de San Ildefonso, Septiembre de 1994–Enero de 1995." In Arte Islámico del Museo Metropolitano de Arte de Nueva York. Mexico City: Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes, 1994. no. 113, pp. 270–71, ill. (b/w).
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