Lions from a Tunic
750–850
- Medium
- tapestry weave with supplementary weft wrapping; undyed linen and dyed wool
- Dimensions
- Overall: 23 x 23 cm (9 1/16 x 9 1/16 in.); Mounted: 29.2 x 29.2 cm (11 1/2 x 11 1/2 in.)
- Genre
- Textile
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art
Styles
Tags
Egypt, Islamic Abbasid period, 8th - 9th Century
About
The royal lions and jeweled border in this colorful roundel, originally from a tunic, conveyed power and wealth. The symmetrical design with lions and ducks flanking the central palmette (fan-shaped plant form) indicates that the pattern was copied from a costlier silk textile woven on a loom that automatically repeated the design in mirror-image symmetry.