Cleveland Museum of Art

Alhambra hanging fragment with decorated bands

Date

1300s

Medium

Silk: lampas and taqueté weave

Culture

Spain, Granada

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The ability to harmoniously combine intricate designs and varied colors was one of the unparalleled achievements of Islamic art. This silk curtain fragment reveals juxtapositions of large- and small-scaled patterns, woven with bold contrasting colors in bands of varying widths. Segments of Arabic text have been woven into the design. The repeated phrase good fortune and prosperity is woven in ivory silk in one of the narrow bands. In the wide band at the bottom, Kufic script in yellow silk extends the word beatitude .

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