Textile Fragment
Unknown Artist
17th–18th century
Medium
Silk, metal thread
Dimensions
H. 5 5/8 in. (14.3 cm) W. 6 in. (15.2 cm)
Classification
Textiles
Department
Islamic Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Nanette B. Kelekian, in honor of Olga Raggio, 2002
Accession Number
2002.494.728
Art Historical Context
This exquisite textile fragment, dating to the 17th–18th, hails from the Islamic world and showcases the opulence of luxury fabrics produced during that era. Crafted from shimmering silk woven with intricate metal threads—likely gold or silver lamé—it measures a modest 5⅝ × 6 inches, suggesting it is a surviving piece from a larger garment, sash, or ceremonial textile. Now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Department Islamic Art, it was generously gifted by Nanette B. Kian in honor of Olga Raggio in 2002. In the vibrant courts of the Ottoman Empire, Safavid Persia, or Mughal India, s...