On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Fragment of a Mat Fan or Fly Whisk with Quadrupeds
Not on view
Animals generally appear on secular works in the Islamic era. These textile fragments picture animals displayed in profile against sharply contrasting backgrounds. The stylized, geometricized forms of the animals and plants are framed by bands of linear and geometric ornament. Animals like these were often combined with inscriptions.
This fragmentary weaving, crafted from strips of date palm, is probably from a fan or a fly whisk. Two lions accompanied by smaller creatures resembling dogs drink from a footed vessel.
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