Fragment
10th/11th century
Medium
Silk
Dimensions
21.6 × 27.9 cm (8 1/2 × 11 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
100488
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This woven-silk fragment depicts a ruler or nobleman from the Abbasid Caliphate that ruled the Middle East from about 750 to 1500. It and others like it were once purported to have been made under the caliphate’s reign in the 10th or 11th century. However, scholars and scientists since the 1950s have debated the origins of the entire corpus to which this fragment belongs, surmising that they are likely fakes, made to deliberately fool collectors who prized authentic textiles of this kind.
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...