Fragment from the Mantle of Don Felipe
1275-1300
Medium
Silk and gilt-animal-substrate-wrapped silk, bands of plain weave with inner warps and complementary weft plain weave with inner warps
Dimensions
33.9 × 12.1 cm (13 3/8 × 4 3/4 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
71765
Art Historical Context
This exquisite fragment from the Mantle of Don Felipe, to 1275–1300, offers a glimpse into the opulent world of medieval Islamic textiles. Produced in the Islamic world—likely Spain's Al-Andalus or the eastern Mediterranean—these luxury fabrics were highly prized across Europe and the Islamic realms. As a small remnant (33.9 × 12.1 cm) of a nobleman's cloak, it once draped the shoulders of Don Felipe, evoking the era's cross-cultural exchanges where Islamic artisans supplied elite wardrobes for Christian royalty. Crafted from silk and gilt-animal-substrate-wrapped silk, the piece showcases so...
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...