Art Institute of Chicago

Fragment

Egypt

Date

Mamluk period (1250–1517), 14th/ 15th century

Medium

Silk, warp-float faced 3:1 twill weave with supplementary patterning wefts tied by secondary binding warps in plain interlacings

Culture

Egypt

Department

Textiles

Institution

Art Institute of Chicago

Textiles held an important place in all Islamic courts, including that of the Mamluks in Egypt and Syria. The appeal of woven fabrics lay in their rich colors, elaborate patterns, and luxury materials, including silk and metal thread. Woven silks such as these two fragments were hung as wall decorations, made into robes worn by members of the court, or given as official gifts to rulers of neighboring regions.

The authoritative record is held by Art Institute of Chicago. LinkedCulture surfaces this object and its connections; it does not alter institutional metadata.