Cleveland Museum of Art

Striped Silk from a Garment

Date

1400s

Medium

silk; lampas weave

Culture

Spain, Granada, Nasrid period

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Arabic inscriptions had religious significance to viewers regardless of their legibility. This text repeats "Glory to our Lord the Sultan," a phrase that also enhances the Alhambra Palace walls. For Muslims, Arabic texts symbolized the divine revelation of God’s word to the Prophet Muhammad and recorded in the holy Qur’an; for Spanish Catholics it represented the Holy Land. In striped silks, inscriptions often alternate with interlacing bands and palmettes. Inscribed silks have survived as Catholic church vestments.

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