Celestial banquet hanging, from the tomb of Bishop Gurb
Unknown Artist
1200–1284
Medium
Silk and gold thread: plain weave with inwoven tapestry weave
Dimensions
21.2 × 58.4 cm · mounted: 30.2 × 67 cm
Classification
Textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1966.368
About this artwork
This rare silk fragment is from a luxurious hanging of brightly colored silk and shiny gold thread that displayed rows of figural roundels on a plain ground. The two turbaned men holding flasks flanking a palmette tree and the turbaned rider with a flying scarf are derived from the ancient Near Eastern imperial themes of the banquet and the hunt. The Arabic inscription framing each roundel proclaims, There is no god but Allah. This piece along with several others were reportedly found in the tom...