Silk curtain from the Alhambra palace

Description

This is one of two of the largest, most complete, and most ornate curtains to survive from the 1300s when it presumably hung in the royal Alhambra Palace in Granada, the last Muslim stronghold in Spain. Its style, artistic vocabulary, and harmonious proportions reflect the magnificent wall decoration in the Alhambra. The motto of the ruling Nasrid dynasty, "There is no conqueror but God," is inscribed in the end borders and central panel. The inscribed striped silk forming the central panel is more worn, suggesting that it was recycled, most likely during the 1300s.

Provenance

(Miguel Rodriguez-Acosta, Granada, Spain, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (?-1982); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (1982-)

Silk curtain from the Alhambra palace

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1300s

Accession Number

1982.16

Medium

lampas and taqueté: silk

Dimensions

Overall: 438.2 x 271.8 cm (172 1/2 x 107 in.)

Classification

Textile

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund