Textile Fragment

Art Historical Context

This delicate wool textile fragment, dating to the 8th–9th century, offers a rare glimpse into the early Islamic world during the Abbasid era. Housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Islamic department, it measures just 4½ by 9¼ inches, likely a surviving piece from a larger garment, furnishing, or ceremonial object. Woven from wool—a durable and versatile fiber—this fragment exemplifies the sophisticated textile production that flourished across the Islamic realms, from Mesopotamia to North Africa. In the context of Islamic art, woven textiles held immense cultural and economic value, ser...