Textile Medallion

6th century

Not on view

Textiles like this one were produced in the pre-Islamic Sasanian empire, which ruled Persia from A.D. 224 to 651. The designs of Sasanian weavers continued to inspire textiles during the early centuries of the Islamic period. This textile fragment displays a design executed in orange and ivory silk against a blue silk ground; stylized plant motifs fill the four corners, and the central roundel is filled with a large plump bird depicted in profile. The bird wears a pearl-studded crescent on its breast and holds a jeweled necklace in its beak—an emblem of Sasanian royalty.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Textile Medallion
Date: 6th century
Geography: Attributed to Iraq or Syria
Medium: Silk; twill
Dimensions: Mount: H. 12 3/8 in. (31.4 cm)
W. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm)
D. 1 1/4 in. (3.2 cm)
Classification: Textiles
Credit Line: Gift of George F. Baker, 1890
Object Number: 90.5.10
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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