Fragment of a wood-block print on linen 1200s - 1300s Egypt, Mamluk period, 1200s-1300s Block printing on linen tabby ground Overall: 11.5 x 19.1 cm (4 1/2 x 7 1/2 in.) Gift of George D. Pratt 1929.907 DESCRIPTION The design of this printed textile was probably copied from a patterned silk. The Arabic inscription ("the sultan") in the center of each rosette was an abbreviation of an official Mamluk formula. The Buddhist knots in the petals of the rosettes and between the stars as well as the Chinese lotus flowers in the petals of the rosettes are indictive of how strong Mongol influence was in Egypt during the Mamluk period. INSCRIPTION al-sultan (the sultan) PROVENANCE 1929 (Paul Mallon, Paris, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) 1929- The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH EXHIBITION HISTORY Techniques of Textile Printing. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 11, 1948-May 29, 1949). Design in Printed Textiles. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (April 4-September 3, 1961). Textiles from Egypt, Syria and Spain: 7th through 15th centuries. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 26-June 6, 1991).