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1902

  • We acquired this object.

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2024

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Fragment (Spain)

This is a Fragment. It is dated 1250–74 and we acquired it in 1902. Its medium is silk, gilded vellum on silk core and its technique is plain weave with complementary wefts (taquete). It is a part of the Textiles department.

This Spanish textile is a fragment of a mantle discovered in the tomb of the Infante Don Felipe of Castile (1231-1274) at the church of Santa María la Blanca in Villalcázar de Sirga, Palencia. Felipe famously led a noble rebellion against his brother Alfonso X, king of Castile, and eventually decided to seek asylum in the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada. Felipe may have acquired this sumptuous mantle while residing at this center of silk production. A tunic with a similar geometric pattern was also found in his tomb, and other Islamic silks have been found in the tombs of Christian nobles in Iberia. The pattern of this textile consists of bands of ornamented rosettes and a central row of Kufic script reflected over a horizontal axis. This stylized inscription may repeat the word “barakah,” which invokes blessings. The registers of decoration are reminiscent of the carved walls and mosaics of Islamic architecture, and the white patterning in the bottom register gives the impression of traditional lobed arches and tapered columns. Granada is renowned for its architecture, especially the sultan’s palace Alhambra, finished within 60 years of the burial of Felipe.

This object was featured in our Object of the Week series in a post titled Words to be buried in.

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

  • Tile (Spain)
  • H x W x D (GH dimensions): 15.2 × 15.2 × 1.3 cm (6 in. × 6 in. × 1/2 in.).
  • Gift of Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt.
  • 1929-17-20-a,b

Our curators have highlighted 8 objects that are related to this one. Here are three of them, selected at random:

  • Textile (Spain)
  • silk, metallic (gilded parchment wound around linen core).
  • Gift of John Pierpont Morgan.
  • 1902-1-251
  • Mihrab Tile (Iran)
  • glazed, modeled and lustered stonepaste with underglaze and underpaint....
  • Gift of Ephron Gallery.
  • 1958-72-1

Its dimensions are

H x W: 26.3 x 18.4 cm (10 3/8 x 7 1/4 in.)

Cite this object as

Fragment (Spain); silk, gilded vellum on silk core; H x W: 26.3 x 18.4 cm (10 3/8 x 7 1/4 in.); Gift of John Pierpont Morgan; 1902-1-978

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Hewitt Sisters Collect.

This image is in the public domain (free of copyright restrictions). You can copy, modify, and distribute this work without contacting the Smithsonian. For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use page.

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/18134343/ |title=Fragment (Spain) |author=Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum |accessdate=23 April 2024 |publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}</ref>