Textile fragment with tiraz band
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
-
Title
Textile fragment with tiraz band
-
Associated place
-
Date
AD 932 (AH 319 - 320) -
Material and technique
linen, glazed, and embroidered with dark-blue silk
-
Material index
-
Technique index
-
Object type
-
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) -
No. of items
1
-
Credit line
Presented by Professor Percy Newberry, 1941.
-
Museum location
Museum department
Eastern Art
Accession no.
EA1988.48
Our online collection is being continually updated. Find out more
Know more about this object? Spotted an error? Contact us
-
Catalogue text
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.In: Barnes, Ruth and Marianne Ellis, ‘The Newberry Collection of Islamic Embroideries’, 4 vols, 2001, Oxford, Ashmolean Museum
Further reading
Barnes, Ruth and Marianne Ellis, ‘The Newberry Collection of Islamic Embroideries’, 4 vols, 2001, Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, vol. iii, vol. i p. 17, vol. i
Reference URL
