Cleveland Museum of Art

Alhambra Palace Silk Curtain

Date

mid-1300s

Medium

silk; lampas weave

Culture

Spain, Granada, Nasrid period

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

This is one of two of the largest, most complete, and most ornate curtains to survive from the 1300s when it presumably hung in the royal Alhambra Palace in Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in Spain. Its style, artistic vocabulary, and harmonious proportions reflect the magnificent wall decoration in the Alhambra. The motto of the ruling Nasrid dynasty, "There is no conqueror but God," is inscribed in the end borders and central panel. The inscribed striped silk forming the central panel is more worn, suggesting that it was recycled, most likely during the 1300s.

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