Woven Silk thumbnail 1
Woven Silk thumbnail 2

Woven Silk

14th or 15th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Satin band, woven in gold thread along the centre with a simulated Kufic inscription on a red ground; along either side runs the repeating Arabic inscription "Glory to the All-powerful Lord" in red silk on a white ground, bordered by narrow bands in green, red, blue and white.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Woven silk Dye samples of this textile were analysed as part of the project “Caracterización de las producciones textiles de la Antigüedad Tardía y Edad Media temprana: tejidos coptos, sasánidas, bizantinos e hispanomusulmanes en las colecciones públicas españolas” (“Characterization of Late Antique and Early Medieval textile production: Coptic, Sasanian, Byzantine and Spanish Muslim textiles in Spanish national collections”) (HAR2008-04161) directed by Dr Laura Rodríguez Peinado, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Dpt. de Historia del Arte I (Medieval). Analysis was conducted by Enrique Parra at the Alfonso X El Sabio University, Madrid. The dyes were analysed through high- performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), extracting threads with a thickness varying between 5 and 1mm by means of 100 µL of methanol/hydrochloric acid/water 1:2:1. The results for this textile were as follows: Green - Indigo Red - Madder White - X Blue - Indigo Baudruche - Silk threat with silver / gold guilding
Brief description
1400s, Hispano- Moresque
Physical description
Satin band, woven in gold thread along the centre with a simulated Kufic inscription on a red ground; along either side runs the repeating Arabic inscription "Glory to the All-powerful Lord" in red silk on a white ground, bordered by narrow bands in green, red, blue and white.
Dimensions
  • Length: 22.5cm
  • Width: 19.1cm
Dimensions taken form registers, converted form inches to cm.
Styles
Marks and inscriptions
(Arabic inscription, translation taken from the registers.)
Translation
"Glory to the All-powerful Lord"
Gallery label
(2012)
Jameel Gallery

Silk with Arabic Inscription
South-east Spain, possibly Granada
1300–1400

This silk textile combines two types of Arabicscript. In the narrow borders the phrase ‘Glory to our lord the sultan’ is repeated in a flowing cursive style. In the widest band, a short inscription in Kufic script reads ‘Perpetual sovereignty’. The uprights of the Kufic letters form an intricate knot pattern. The repetition ofthese phrases creates the illusion of a long calligraphic frieze.

Silk and metal-wrapped thread in lampas weave
Museum no. 829-1894
Object history
Acquired as part of a collection of textile fragments from M. Stanislas Baron, for the price of 800 francs. A portion of the collection was purchased by the Manchester School of Art.

Registered as nos. 828 to 851-1894.

Neg. 67753

Price: £31.2.6 (taken from the registers).
Historical context
Samples of coloured threads from this object have been taken and are being analysed as part of a collaboration between the V&A and the Spanish Research project "Caracterización de als producciones textiles de la Antigüedad Tardía y Edad Media temprana: tejidos coptos, sasánidas, bizantinos e hispanomusulmanes en las colecciones públicas españolas" ("Characterization of Late Antique and Early Medieval textile production: Coptic, Sasanian, Byzantine and Spanish Muslim textiles in Spanish national collections") (HAR2008-04161) directed by Dr Laura Rodríguez Peinado, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Dpt. de Historia del Arte I (Medieval).
Collection
Accession number
829-1894

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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