Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Ashmolean − Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Room 5 | Textiles gallery

Explore the beauty and variety of Eastern Art objects on display in the Textiles gallery.

Textiles gallery

Galleries : 97 objects

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Textile fragment with tiraz band

  • Description

    The inscription on this tiraz fragment reads: ‘Blessing from God, Prosperity and Glory to the Caliph, the Servant of God, Ja‘far [al-Muqtadir], [in the] year [AH] 320 [AD 932].’ The style of writing used in this sample, which accentuates the stems of the vertical letters and the horizontal tails of the rounder characters, has been associated with the textile production of Iraq and Iran between the 10th and 11th centuries.

  • Details

    Associated place
    Africa Egypt (find spot)
    AfricaEgyptCairoCairo Fustat (possible find spot)
    Africa Egypt (place of creation)
    Date
    AD 932 (AH 319 - 320)
    Material and technique
    linen, glazed, and embroidered with dark-blue silk
    Dimensions
    21.5 x 15 cm max. (length x width)
    along length/width 28 / 28 threads/cm (thread count)
    ground fabric 0.05 cm (thread diameter)
    additional fibre, embroidery 0.05 cm (thread diameter)
    Material index
    organicvegetalfibreflax linen,
    Technique index
    Object type index
    No. of items
    1
    Credit line
    Presented by Professor Percy Newberry, 1941.
    Accession no.
    EA1988.48
  • Further reading

    Barnes, Ruth and Marianne Ellis, ‘The Newberry Collection of Islamic Embroideries’, 4 vols, 2001, Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, cat. vol. iii, vol. i p. 17, illus. vol. i

Location

    • currently in research collection

Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.

 

Collection trails

Publications online

  • The Newberry Collection of Islamic Embroideries by Ruth Barnes and Marianne Ellis

    The Newberry Collection of Islamic Embroideries

    A tiraz fragment with a very carefully embroidered inscription which reads "baraka min allah wa ni'ma wa 'izz li'l-khalifa 'abdallah Ja'far sana 'ishrin wa mi'atayn" (Blessing from God and prosperity and glory to the Caliph, the servant of God, Ja'far, in the year 320.)

    The inscription dates the textile to 932 A.D.; it was made in Egypt. Radiocarbon analysis of the piece had the medium result of 710 A.D. +/- 80, with the calibrated date (95.4% confidence) 650-960 A.D.
Notice

Objects may have since been removed or replaced from a gallery. Click into an individual object record to confirm whether or not an object is currently on display. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis, so contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular Eastern Art object.

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