Textile with Lions and Peacocks
Unknown Artist
14th century
Medium
Silk, metal thread
Dimensions
Overall (a): 7 7/16 × 8 1/4 in. (18.9 × 20.9 cm) Overall (b): 7 3/8 × 6 1/2 in. (18.7 × 16.5 cm) Storage (Mat): 13 × 25 1/2 in. (33 × 64.8 cm)
Classification
Textiles-Woven
Culture
Italian
Department
Medieval Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1909
Accession Number
09.50.995a, b
Tags
Art Historical Context
This exquisite *Textile with Lions andacocks*, crafted in 14th-century Italy, showcases the pinnacle of medieval textile artistry. Woven from luxurious silk and shimmering metal threads, it measures about 7 by 8 inches in its two fragments (a and b), preserved a larger mat. Produced during a time when Italian city-states like Lucca and Venice dominated Europe's silk trade, such textiles were symbols of wealth and prestige, often adorning church vestments, noble garments, or wall hangings. The bold motifs of lions—emblems of strength and nobility—and graceful peacocks highlight the era's fasci...