Fragment
Fatimid period (969–1171)
Medium
Linen, tapestry weave
Dimensions
12.7 × 15.2 cm (5 × 6 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
4024
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This fragment’s open, gauzy weave is a feature of Tiraz fabrics from Fatimid Egypt. Documents from the time describe textiles such as this one as having linen weaves as “thin as air.” In their complete form, Tiraz fabrics consisted almost entirely of this delicate linen weave, with a few bands of tapestry weaving at the edge, as seen here.
About the Artist
Islamic
Islamic art, a profound visual tradition originating in the 7th century CE, flourished across vast territories from Spain to India under Muslim rule, encompassing architecture, ceramics, manuscripts, textiles, and metalwork produced by diverse artisans rather than a single named master. Drawing from pre-Islamic Sasanian, Byzantine, and late antique influences, its early development under the Umayy...