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Textile Fragment with Hunting Scene

8th century
Not on view
This silk fragment depicts a mounted hunter aiming at a leaping panther in an oval roundel with scrolling vegetation. It is closely related to early Byzantine examples woven in Egypt. The motif of hunters on horseback with bows and arrows originates in Sasanian Iran but made its way into Byzantine heraldry, where it was adapted and classicized. The inclusion of an Arabic inscription (the bismillah) places it securely in the early Islamic period. This is a testament to the longevity of the motif and the synthesis of pre-Islamic designs in the early Islamic period.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Textile Fragment with Hunting Scene
  • Date: 8th century
  • Geography: Attributed to Egypt or Syria
  • Medium: Silk; samite
  • Dimensions: Textile: H. 9 1/2 in. (24.1 cm)
    W. 6 3/4 in. (17.1 cm)
    Mount: H. 13 3/4 in. (34.9 cm)
    W. 10 1/4 in. (26 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles-Woven
  • Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1951
  • Object Number: 51.57
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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