Silk Fragments with Palmette Blossoms 700s Egypt or Syria, Islamic period, late Umayyad-or Abbasid, 8th century Complementary weft-faced twill with inner warps (samit); silk Overall: 22.5 x 29.5 cm (8 7/8 x 11 5/8 in.); Mounted: 27.9 x 34.9 cm (11 x 13 3/4 in.) Gift of The Textile Arts Club 1951.91 DESCRIPTION The stunning pattern of palmettes within diamond-shaped compartments is still visible in this rare four-color silk, despite its fragile state. Small human faces within circles appear at the points of the diamonds. PROVENANCE reportedly acquired in Egypt; (Mme. Paul Mallon, Paris). CITATIONS Wardwell, Anne E. Material Matters: Fifty Years of Gifts from the Textile Arts Club, 1934-1984 : [Exhibition] 21 November-30 December 1984, the Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland: The Museum, 1984. p. 15 Baker, Patricia L. Islamic Textiles. 1995. p. 38 (reconstruction drawing) EXHIBITION HISTORY Gallery 210 textile rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (October 23, 2001-October 27, 2002). Material Matters: Fifty Years of Gifts from the Textile Arts Club. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 21-December 30, 1984). Textiles from Egypt, Syria and Spain: 7th through 15th centuries. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 26-June 6, 1991). Byzantine Gallery 210 Rotation. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 2, 2001-October 15, 2002).