Roundel from a Tunic with Palmette Tree

Creator not recorded by the museum

Date: 650–850
Medium: Silk; complementary weft-faced twill weave with inner warps (samite)
Dimensions: Overall: 18.3 x 17.8 cm (7 3/16 x 7 in.); Mounted: 27.9 x 26.7 cm (11 x 10 1/2 in.)
Country / context: Egypt or Syria(?)
Movement / tradition: Middle Eastern and North African arts
Collection: The Cleveland Museum of Art
Pathway: Middle Eastern and North African arts ↗

FROM THE MUSEUM

Four or six squares of this luxurious two-color silk were originally sewn on a linen tunic, two positioned above the hemline in the front and two in the back, and possibly two more at the shoulder. The folded edges are still visible, including a silk sewing thread on the right side. The brittle condition is evident in the numerous crisp breaks.

Collection text · The Cleveland Museum of Art · CC0

A MOMENT TO LOOK

Start with what you can see: shapes, surface, colour and scale. How might the listed materials affect the way this object was made and experienced?

Looking prompt · an invitation to observe, not a historical interpretation.

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