
1600–1650
There is a pomegranate design in each ogee (pointed arch) of this silk brocade fragment. The pomegranate is a small tree originating in Persia (today’s Iran) bearing fruit of deep red flesh filled with hundreds of seeds. The pomegranate has been revered as a symbol for health and fertility by many civilizations. In Islam the pomegranate is associated with paradise as described in the Qur’an.