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Fig. 10. Fragment with eagle and jeweled border, ca. eighth century, wool, 45 x 23 cm. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, purchase, D. W. Parker Fund, 1953.Dt.5. Artwork in the public domain; photograph by Christine Guest, provided by MMFA.

Figure 10 Fragment with eagle and jeweled border, ca. eighth century, wool, 45 x 23 cm. Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, purchase, D. W. Parker Fund, 1953.Dt.5. Artwork in the public domain; photograph by Christine Guest, provided by MMFA.

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“exaggerated” role of textiles in Islamic society by con- sidering textual and visual sources that attest to their ubiquity in the medieval world. “When we study Islamic architecture,’ Golombek notes, “we tend to for- get that doorways were hung with curtains; that hang- ings made the open colonnade a private place; t hat the bare floors, sometimes unpaved, were laid with carpets and mats; and that through these halls marched a con- tinual procession of richly clothed personages.”® Golombek’s description of Khirbat al-Mafjar pits the ghostly state of the ruins today against the once- lively appearance of the palace. In this essay, I aim to follow Golombek’s and Fiala’s leads to imagine the
“exaggerated” role of textiles in Islamic society by con- sidering textual and visual sources that attest to their ubiquity in the medieval world. “When we study Islamic architecture,’ Golombek notes, “we tend to for- get that doorways were hung with curtains; that hang- ings made the open colonnade a private place; t hat the bare floors, sometimes unpaved, were laid with carpets and mats; and that through these halls marched a con- tinual procession of richly clothed personages.”® Golombek’s description of Khirbat al-Mafjar pits the ghostly state of the ruins today against the once- lively appearance of the palace. In this essay, I aim to follow Golombek’s and Fiala’s leads to imagine the
atmosphere of early Islamic living spaces by focusing specifically on furnishing textiles. The first section outlines difficulties in studying early Islamic textiles, while the second considers a corpus of fabrics that can be attributed to the era on stylistic, epigraphic, and technical grounds. Larger questions about the spread of designs and motifs in the early Islamic period are con- sidered in the final section. The overall aim is to draw attention to an understudied group of early Islamic textile fragments and to reintegrate textiles into dis- cussions of the built spaces of the Umayyad and early ‘Abbasid worlds.® 6 Fora broader discussion about the importance of considering textiles in architecture, see T. Weddigen, “Notes from the Field:
atmosphere of early Islamic living spaces by focusing specifically on furnishing textiles. The first section outlines difficulties in studying early Islamic textiles, while the second considers a corpus of fabrics that can be attributed to the era on stylistic, epigraphic, and technical grounds. Larger questions about the spread of designs and motifs in the early Islamic period are con- sidered in the final section. The overall aim is to draw attention to an understudied group of early Islamic textile fragments and to reintegrate textiles into dis- cussions of the built spaces of the Umayyad and early ‘Abbasid worlds.® 6 Fora broader discussion about the importance of considering textiles in architecture, see T. Weddigen, “Notes from the Field:
and only at certain times.!> But textiles were an omni- present component of people’s visual repertory, and certainly part of the period’s debate about the legiti- macy of figuration. Textiles are therefore crucial for understanding the material and visual culture of the early Islamic period, and merit more attention in art historical evaluations. and only at certain times.’? But textiles were an omni- A group of textiles that can be dated to the early Islamic period on technical, stylistic, and scientific grounds pro- vides an excellent case study for incorporating textiles into early Islamic interiors. A textile at Dumbarton 15 For example, see the discussion by F. B. Flood, “Christian Mosaics in Early Islamic Jordan and Palestine: A Case of Regional Iconoclasm,” in Evans and Ratliff, Byzantium and Islam, 117; see also no. 79.
and only at certain times.!> But textiles were an omni- present component of people’s visual repertory, and certainly part of the period’s debate about the legiti- macy of figuration. Textiles are therefore crucial for understanding the material and visual culture of the early Islamic period, and merit more attention in art historical evaluations. and only at certain times.’? But textiles were an omni- A group of textiles that can be dated to the early Islamic period on technical, stylistic, and scientific grounds pro- vides an excellent case study for incorporating textiles into early Islamic interiors. A textile at Dumbarton 15 For example, see the discussion by F. B. Flood, “Christian Mosaics in Early Islamic Jordan and Palestine: A Case of Regional Iconoclasm,” in Evans and Ratliff, Byzantium and Islam, 117; see also no. 79.
we can imagine that a complete textile featured an overall pattern of regularly spaced medallions filled variously with birds, quadrupeds, human figures, and vegetal motifs, all framed by a densely patterned border with rows of floral motifs. hanging with Hestia Polyolbos (BZ.1929.1) and around the frame of a hanging depicting hunters (BZ.1937.14).
we can imagine that a complete textile featured an overall pattern of regularly spaced medallions filled variously with birds, quadrupeds, human figures, and vegetal motifs, all framed by a densely patterned border with rows of floral motifs. hanging with Hestia Polyolbos (BZ.1929.1) and around the frame of a hanging depicting hunters (BZ.1937.14).
Fig. 7. Hanging with foliate roundel and rider, eighth century, wool, 22.3 x 17.2 cm. Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of The Textile Arts Club, 1951.90. CCO 1.0.
Fig. 7. Hanging with foliate roundel and rider, eighth century, wool, 22.3 x 17.2 cm. Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of The Textile Arts Club, 1951.90. CCO 1.0.
scientific analyses of the threads, including the identification of the species of animal produc- ing the wool and the chemical makeup of the dyes used, will certainly help in identifying subsets of De Jonghe et al., R. Pfister Collection, inv. 6983 (ill. LXIVa-b), 6988 (ill. LX Va-c), 74.40 (ill. LX VII), 74.43 (ill. LX VID), and 744s (ill. LXIX); numerous examples in Berlin analyzed and reproduced in K. Brisch, ed., Islamische Kunst: Loseblattkatalog unpublizierter Werke aus deutschen Museen, vol. 2, Metall, Stein, Stuck, Holz, Elfenbein, Stoffe (Mainz, 1984), 243-54; and the three pieces at the Musée de Cluny, inv. Cl. 22474 (Lorquin, Tissus coptes, 256-58), inv. Cl. 22043 (ibid., 238-59), and inv. Cl. 21603 (ibid., 331-33).
scientific analyses of the threads, including the identification of the species of animal produc- ing the wool and the chemical makeup of the dyes used, will certainly help in identifying subsets of De Jonghe et al., R. Pfister Collection, inv. 6983 (ill. LXIVa-b), 6988 (ill. LX Va-c), 74.40 (ill. LX VII), 74.43 (ill. LX VID), and 744s (ill. LXIX); numerous examples in Berlin analyzed and reproduced in K. Brisch, ed., Islamische Kunst: Loseblattkatalog unpublizierter Werke aus deutschen Museen, vol. 2, Metall, Stein, Stuck, Holz, Elfenbein, Stoffe (Mainz, 1984), 243-54; and the three pieces at the Musée de Cluny, inv. Cl. 22474 (Lorquin, Tissus coptes, 256-58), inv. Cl. 22043 (ibid., 238-59), and inv. Cl. 21603 (ibid., 331-33).
Fig. 13. Fragment with Arabic inscription, 663-868 CE, wool, 59.1 x 24.8 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, purchase, Mariana Herrmann Fund, The Page and Otto Marx Jr. Foundation and Rogers Fund, 2001, 2001.420. CCO 1.0.
Fig. 13. Fragment with Arabic inscription, 663-868 CE, wool, 59.1 x 24.8 cm. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, purchase, Mariana Herrmann Fund, The Page and Otto Marx Jr. Foundation and Rogers Fund, 2001, 2001.420. CCO 1.0.
Fig. 14. Pillow cover with Arabic inscription, ninth century, wool and linen, 80 x 83.2 cm. Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1959.48. CCO 1.0.
Fig. 14. Pillow cover with Arabic inscription, ninth century, wool and linen, 80 x 83.2 cm. Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1959.48. CCO 1.0.
Fig. 15. Fragments of a tirdz naming “Marwan,” ca. seventh-eighth century, silk, 50.7 x 30.3 cm and 21.5 x 15.2 cm. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1314-1888 and T.13-1960. Artwork in the public domain; photograph © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
Fig. 15. Fragments of a tirdz naming “Marwan,” ca. seventh-eighth century, silk, 50.7 x 30.3 cm and 21.5 x 15.2 cm. Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 1314-1888 and T.13-1960. Artwork in the public domain; photograph © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.
infinitum thanks to the mechanized nature of their looms, the designs of the tapestry-woven fabrics are cre- ated by hand. This means that a tapestry weaver must show great mastery and control of technique, since he or she cannot rely on any mechanical process inherent to the drawloom itself to create repeating and sym- metrical patterns.*? One wonders if this artistic bra- vura was recognized at the time, and if it was part of the appeal. for situating furnishing textiles in the architecture of the time. Unfortunately, Umayyad and early ‘Abbasid structures have not yet been mined for hooks, rods, and other technical details that would point more defini- tively to the locations of furnishing textiles in the built environment. For now, we might rely on other kinds of surviving architectural evidence to envision the uses of textiles in early Islamic spaces. For example, the floor mosaics of the bathhouse at Khirbat al-Mafjar provide an interesting case for using surviving in situ evidence as a way of understanding the ephemeral use of tex- tiles. The heraldic floor mosaic of the so-called diwan, or reception room, for example, features small tassels emulating the fringe of a textile (fig. 16). These imita- tive tassels raise the possibility that mosaicists modeled Second, early Islamic architectural and archaeo- logical evidence offers a potential wealth of information 41 This aesthetic of repetition and mirroring is discussed by J. Trilling, The Medallion Style: A Study in the Origins of Byzantine Taste (New York, 1985).
infinitum thanks to the mechanized nature of their looms, the designs of the tapestry-woven fabrics are cre- ated by hand. This means that a tapestry weaver must show great mastery and control of technique, since he or she cannot rely on any mechanical process inherent to the drawloom itself to create repeating and sym- metrical patterns.*? One wonders if this artistic bra- vura was recognized at the time, and if it was part of the appeal. for situating furnishing textiles in the architecture of the time. Unfortunately, Umayyad and early ‘Abbasid structures have not yet been mined for hooks, rods, and other technical details that would point more defini- tively to the locations of furnishing textiles in the built environment. For now, we might rely on other kinds of surviving architectural evidence to envision the uses of textiles in early Islamic spaces. For example, the floor mosaics of the bathhouse at Khirbat al-Mafjar provide an interesting case for using surviving in situ evidence as a way of understanding the ephemeral use of tex- tiles. The heraldic floor mosaic of the so-called diwan, or reception room, for example, features small tassels emulating the fringe of a textile (fig. 16). These imita- tive tassels raise the possibility that mosaicists modeled Second, early Islamic architectural and archaeo- logical evidence offers a potential wealth of information 41 This aesthetic of repetition and mirroring is discussed by J. Trilling, The Medallion Style: A Study in the Origins of Byzantine Taste (New York, 1985).
their compositions on actual existing textiles. Equally intriguing is the distinctive running strip of repeating pattern mosaics leading from the exterior door of the bathhouse to this special audience room (figs. 17-18). Ellen Swift has argued that in the Roman world, pat- terned strips like these were used in transitional spaces ike hallways to direct visitors along prescribed paths.*” In the case of Khirbat al-Maffar, one wonders whether the mosaics marked a ceremonial route for the caliph or his visitors into the bathhouse and onward to the recep- tion room, and whether these pathways were cloaked in furnishing fabrics. Close scrutiny of surviving
their compositions on actual existing textiles. Equally intriguing is the distinctive running strip of repeating pattern mosaics leading from the exterior door of the bathhouse to this special audience room (figs. 17-18). Ellen Swift has argued that in the Roman world, pat- terned strips like these were used in transitional spaces ike hallways to direct visitors along prescribed paths.*” In the case of Khirbat al-Maffar, one wonders whether the mosaics marked a ceremonial route for the caliph or his visitors into the bathhouse and onward to the recep- tion room, and whether these pathways were cloaked in furnishing fabrics. Close scrutiny of surviving
Fig. 19. Vaclav Fiala, Umayyad interior, from A. Musil, Pan Amry (Prague, 1948), 64. Illustration © Vaclav Fiala, 1948.
Fig. 19. Vaclav Fiala, Umayyad interior, from A. Musil, Pan Amry (Prague, 1948), 64. Illustration © Vaclav Fiala, 1948.
Fig. 20. Watercolor of wall painting from Samarra’, Iraq, ninth century. Photograph courtesy of the Ernst Herzfeld Archives, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Fig. 20. Watercolor of wall painting from Samarra’, Iraq, ninth century. Photograph courtesy of the Ernst Herzfeld Archives, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Fig. 21. Decor froma private home, Fustat, Egypt, ca. 900 cE. K. A. C. Creswell, Early Muslim Architecture (Oxford, 1932-40), 2: plate 117c. Photograph courtesy of the Creswell Archive, Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford.
Fig. 21. Decor froma private home, Fustat, Egypt, ca. 900 cE. K. A. C. Creswell, Early Muslim Architecture (Oxford, 1932-40), 2: plate 117c. Photograph courtesy of the Creswell Archive, Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford.
Fig. 22. Decor froma private home, Fustat, Egypt, ca. 900 CE. K. A. C. Creswell, Early Muslim Architecture (Oxford, 1932-40), 2: plate 117e. Photograph courtesy of the Creswell Archive, Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford.
Fig. 22. Decor froma private home, Fustat, Egypt, ca. 900 CE. K. A. C. Creswell, Early Muslim Architecture (Oxford, 1932-40), 2: plate 117e. Photograph courtesy of the Creswell Archive, Ashmolean Museum, University of Oxford.
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