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Object Timeline

1902

  • We acquired this object.

2015

2024

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Fragment (Iran)

This is a Fragment. It is dated 10th century and we acquired it in 1902. Its medium is silk and its technique is 2\1 twill with complementary wefts and inner warps. It is a part of the Textiles department.

The richly stylized depiction of confronted lions in this rare textile fragment is derived from the art of the vast and powerful Sasanian Empire once centered in ancient Iran, (AD 224-631). This distinctively patterned silk, probably produced in Zandana, a town in near the Central Asian city of Bukhara, is an example of how Sasanian art and architecture remained very influential throughout the Middle East and Europe long after the Empire's fall.

This object was donated by John Pierpont Morgan. It is credited Gift of John Pierpont Morgan.

  • Fragment
  • silk, linen.
  • Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt.
  • 1896-1-26

Its dimensions are

H x W: 15.6 × 27.6 cm (6 1/8 × 10 7/8 in.)

Cite this object as

Fragment (Iran); silk; H x W: 15.6 × 27.6 cm (6 1/8 × 10 7/8 in.); Gift of John Pierpont Morgan; 1902-1-211-a/h

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If you would like to cite this object in a Wikipedia article please use the following template:

<ref name=CH>{{cite web |url=https://collection.cooperhewitt.org/objects/18130441/ |title=Fragment (Iran) |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=25 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>