EGYPT, 10TH/11TH CENTURY

In composition and technique this is an extrmemly rare textile. Its use of small areas of silk woven tapestry panels which contain traces of metal thread scattered through the field is most unusual. Technically it relates, in its linen ground and in the figural decoration to a number of Fatimid and Coptic Egyptian textiles, most of which are embroidered on coarser woven plainweave grounds. The technique here however is much finer than is normally encountered, the very fine strands of loosely woven linen providing a diaphanous ground for the tapestry woven motifs. In terms of decoration too there are many links to Fatimid and Coptic material. Animals are easy to parallel, and there are a number of human figures known. The abstraction of the human face however is a very unusual feature for which it is very difficult to find comparative material.

Another example of the same fabric appeared recently for sale at Bonhams (12 April 2000, lot 155). That fragment had been found in Afghanistan and the note speculated about the links between the two areas. Links between the two should however not come as a surprise; they can also be shown to exist in works made in other more durable materials as well as textiles. There are in particular a number of carved hardstones, especially rock crystal carvings, which have appeared from Afghanistan recently, all of which seem very closely related to Fatimid designs.