Cleveland Museum of Art

Fragment with falconer riding a bull in a rondel

Date

1000s–1100s (radiocarbon date, 95% probability)

Medium

Silk: double cloth

Culture

Iran, Rayy, Seljuk period

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

The princely sport of falconry was frequently represented in medieval luxury silks. Here, the falconer wears a jeweled turban, the most significant item of men’s dress, and rides sidesaddle on a bull. His tunic displays two small designs: overlapping octagons and the conventional star and cross motif. On his gloved hand, he probably supports a coveted gyrfalcon, a large, superior bird. The border displays an inner inscription and an outer animal procession, an ancient Near Eastern theme, of real and mythical creatures. This double cloth has two distinct layers that exchange position according to the pattern. The crisply broken edges and scattered brittle threads are typical of the fragility of authentic medieval Iranian silks. The falconer's round face with delicate features represents the ideal Iranian beauty, complemented by the chic round hairballs beside his cheeks.

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