Textile Fragment
Unknown Artist
9th–10th century
Medium
Silk; lampas (?)
Dimensions
Max. H. 3 3/8 in. (8.5 cm) Max. W. 4 15/16 in. (12.5 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Woven
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of George F. Baker, 1890
Accession Number
90.5.3
Art Historical Context
This delicate *Textile Fragment*, dating to the 9th–10th, offers a glimpse into the opulent world of Islamic textile production during the Abbasid era. Crafted from silk in a possible lampas weave—a sophisticated technique layering a patterned supplementary weft over a sturdy ground fabric—this small piece (just 3⅜ × 4⅞ inches) survives as a testament to the era's masterful craftsmanship. Lampas was prized for its durability and sheen, ideal for luxurious garments, furnishings, and trade goods that symbolized wealth and status across the Islamic world, from Baghdad to Central Asia. In the Isl...