Exotic Gold-patterned Silk
Unknown Artist
1360–1400
Medium
silk, gold thread; a combination of two weaves, 2/1 twill and 1/3 twill (lampas)
Dimensions
21.6 × 31.1 cm · mounted: 30.5 × 39.4 cm
Classification
Textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1954.69
About this artwork
This superb quality silk with radiant gold thread on a rich green ground ranked among the most extravagant textiles woven in Italy during the 1300s. The Italian silk designer combined primarily exotic Chinese and Islamic motifs into the exceptionally dynamic pattern in the international style. Mythical beasts with flaming manes appear amid large palmette leaves. A chasuble in this fabric has survived, hidden during World War II behind a false wall in Saint Mary’s Church in Gdansk, Poland. A rema...