Textile Fragment
Unknown Artist
5th–6th century
Medium
Wool (?); plain weave
Dimensions
Max. H. 18 1/2 in. (47 cm) Max. W. 6 11/16 in. (17 cm)
Classification
Textiles
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of George F. Baker, 1890
Accession Number
90.5.165
Art Historical Context
This delicate textile fragment, dating to the 5th–6th centuries and now in the Metropolitan Museum of Art Department of Islamic Art, transports us to the vibrant world of Late Antique weaving in the Near East or Central Asia—regions pivotal to the emerging Islamic cultural sphere. Crafted from wool (or a wool blend) in a plain weave, it measures a modest 18½ by 6⅞ inches, likely a survivor from a larger garment, curtain, or furnishing. The plain weave technique—threads interlaced at right angles in an over-under pattern—represents one of humanity's oldest and most practical methods, prized fo...