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Historic Textiles with Decorative Designs

A collection of ancient textiles featuring intricate patterns and symbols, showcasing craftsmanship from China and Europe across several centuries.

Piece 18th century German, Schleswig-Holstein Silk textiles composed of paired animals nestled in dense foliage were woven in Europe before 1400 and were probably inspired by precious Central Asian textiles. These two double cloths 34.41.7 and 09.50.1037 illustrate how the tradition continued, and their graphic quality mirrors that of Brother Rabbit.. Piece 216434
Piece 18th century German, Schleswig-Holstein Silk textiles composed of paired animals nestled in dense foliage were woven in Europe before 1400 and were probably inspired by precious Central Asian textiles. These two double cloths 34.41.7 and 09.50.1037 illustrate how the tradition continued, and their graphic quality mirrors that of Brother Rabbit.. Piece 216434
224 assets in this story
Sutra Cover with Auspicious Symbols on Diaper Ground 16th century China. Sutra Cover with Auspicious Symbols on Diaper Ground 53755 China, Sutra Cover with Auspicious Symbols on Diaper Ground, 16th century, Silk and metallic thread lampas, Overall: 14 1/4 x 5 in. (36.2 x 12.7 cm). The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Rogers Fund, 1946 (46.186.63)Piece 18th century German, Schleswig-Holstein Silk textiles composed of paired animals nestled in dense foliage were woven in Europe before 1400 and were probably inspired by precious Central Asian textiles. These two double cloths 34.41.7 and 09.50.1037 illustrate how the tradition continued, and their graphic quality mirrors that of Brother Rabbit.. Piece 216434Piece 1775-85 French, possibly Bordeaux. Piece 221585Piece 19th century China. Piece 67953Piece 18th century French. Piece 216851Piece ca. 1760 British, probably. Piece 13795Piece 16th century Italian. Piece 219592Piece of valance 18th century Greek Islands, Rhodes. Piece of valance 227633Piece 17th century Italian or Greek. Piece 213087Piece 16th century Spanish or Italian. Piece 229384Chasuble 1710-15 Italian,Venice. Chasuble 227793Antependium 16th century Italian. Antependium 228936Piece 17th century Italian. Piece 224517Textile 18th-19th century Japan. Textile. Japan. 18th-19th century. Silk. TextilesBedcover (Feather-Edged Star Quilt) Made 1880 Pennsylvania. . Nancy Margaret Crow Mooney (Maker)Chasuble with Orphrey Bands. Spain. Date: 1601-1700. Dimensions: 120.5 × 63.2 cm (47 1/2 × 24 7/8 in.)Repeat: 15.4 × 7 cm (6 1/8 × 2 3/4 in.). Silk and gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk, plain weave with gilt-metal strip facing wefts and brocading wefts; orphrey bands: silk, plain weave with gilt-metal strip facing wefts; embroidered with silk and gilt-metal-strip-wrapped silk and cotton in satin, split, raised stem, and stem stitches; couching; edged with woven fringe. Origin: Spain. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.Piece 1750-60 French. Piece 223342Piece 1720-30 French. Piece. French. 1720-30. Silk. Textiles-WovenPiece Japan. Piece 67910Piece 1760-70 French. Piece 223166Cover. Culture: Spanish. Dimensions: L. 113 x W. 28 inches287.0 x 71.1 cm. Date: early 17th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.Sutra Cover 17th-18th century China. Sutra Cover 69823Fragment. Culture: Southern German. Dimensions: 7 1/2 x 6 1/2 inches (19.1 x 16.5 cm). Date: 16th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.Piece 16th century Spanish. Piece. Spanish. 16th century. Silk and metal thread. Textiles-WovenPiece 18th century Spanish or Italian. Piece 219596Towel 17th century Italian. Towel. Italian. 17th century. Linen and silk. Textiles-WovenSampler 1749 German. Sampler 228416Sutra Cover 19th century China. Sutra Cover 69822Flounce early 18th century Flemish, Brussels. Flounce. Flemish, Brussels. early 18th century. Bobbin lace. Textiles-LacesPiece 1720-24 French. Piece 216836Band 16th-17th century Italian or Greek. Band 215471Valance 19th century China. Valance 70513Piece ca. 1715 Italian, Venice. Piece 227827Piece 19th century China. Piece 69740Piece 17th century Italian. Piece 224089Piece ca. 1750 () French. Piece 227289Headdress (Fontange) early 18th century possibly Flemish. Headdress (Fontange) 218148Piece ca. 1700 probably Spanish. Piece 227879Piece ca. 1720 Italian, Venice. Piece 227850Piece 16th-17th century Italian. Piece 223484Piece 18th century French. Piece 224390Piece 16th century Spanish. Piece 214341Fragments Morocco. Silk, plain weave; embroidered in stem, herringbone, plaiting, and Holbein stitches .Textile Fragment 16th-17th century. Textile Fragment 448347Piece 1785 French. Piece 221836Border tile early 17th century Flemish, Antwerp or Dutch. Border tile 196206Fragment of a Shoulder Band 5th century. Fragment of a Shoulder Band 443823Textile Fragment 3rd-4th century. Textile Fragment 443540Piece ca. 1740-50 Italian. Piece 224078Fragment ca. 1600 Flemish. Fragment. Flemish. ca. 1600. Bobbin lace. Textiles-LacesFragment. Dimensions: 26 3/8 in. high 3 3/4 in. wide (67 cm high 9.6 cm wide). Date: 5th-6th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.Piece 18th century Poliakoff, Moscow. Piece 222393Grille. Culture: Italian. Dimensions: 28 1/2 × 67 3/16 × 1 3/16 in. (72.4 × 170.7 × 3 cm). Date: 16th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.Piece 1720-25 French. Piece 217291Cover early 19th century. Cover 443069Sash 18th century Polish. Sash 219027Piece late 18th century French. Piece 223652Border (one of a pair) 17th century Italian. Border (one of a pair). Italian. 17th century. Needle lace. Textiles-LacesBand 18th century possibly German. Band 216581Piece. Culture: Italian or Spanish. Dimensions: 17 3/8 x 22 3/4 inches (44.1 x 57.8 cm). Date: 16th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.Piece ca. 1730 French. Piece 216859Priest's Robe 17th-18th century Japan. Priest's Robe 69039Fragment; silkPiece 16th-17th century Italian. Piece 223523Part of a chair cover. Culture: French, Lyons. Designer: Jean Démosthène Dugourc (French, Versailles 1749-1825 Paris). Dimensions: c) L. 16 1/4 x W. 14 1/2 inches41.3 x 36.8 cmd) L. 35 1/4 inches89.5 cme) L. 19 3/4 inches50.2 cmf) L. 17 inches43.2 inches. Date: ca. 1797. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.Carpet first half 19th century. Carpet 453282Piece 1775-1800 French. Piece 220299Piece late 18th century French. Piece 223639Three Frisians with black moresken on a white surface; Liber Maurusiarum Duplicium (...). A new boeck from Dice Morisken (...) .. Leaf belongs to 4 blades from a series of 8.Piece 18th century Japan. Piece 70359Towel early 19th century Albanian. Towel 222176Fragment. Dimensions: 27 3/4 in. high 19 1/8 in. wide (70.5 cm high 48.5 cm wide). Date: 3rd-4th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.Piece 16th-17th century Italian. Piece 223504Piece 17th century China or Japan. Piece 70971Piece ca. 1695 () Italian. Piece. Italian. ca. 1695 (). Silk and metal thread. Textiles-WovenSampler. Culture: Dutch. Dimensions: H. 16 x W. 15 3/4 inches (40.6 x 40 cm). Date: 1850. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.Letter case late 17th-early 18th century French. Letter case 227153Handkerchief Belgian, Brussels 19th century View more. Handkerchief. Belgian, Brussels. 19th century. Needle lace, Brussels needle lace, Point de Gaze, linen. Textiles-LacesCoverlet 1845 New York. Cotton and wool, plain weave double cloth; woven on loom with Jacquard attachment; two selvages present . Sarah Ann Riddell (Weaver)Shawl second quarter 19th century. Shawl 446859Piece. Culture: Italian. Dimensions: 6 x 11 1/2 in. (15.2 x 29.2 cm). Date: late 15th-early 16th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.Woman's Ceremonial Skirt (Tapis) 19th century Lampung. Woman's Ceremonial Skirt (Tapis). Lampung. 19th century. Cotton, gold wrapped thread, silk paillettes, metal. Indonesia, Sumatra, Lampung. Textiles-WovenSample early 19th century French. Sample 224057Three Borders. France, Lyon. Date: 1770-1790. Dimensions: a: 70.8 x 20 cm (27 7/8 x 7 7/8 in.)b: 59.2 x 11.5 cm (23 1/4 x 4 1/2 in.)c: 69.8 x 3.5 cm (27 1/2 x 1 3/8 in.). Silk, warp-float faced, satin weave with supplementary pile warps forming cut, uncut and voided velvet. Origin: Lyon. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.Collar with Various Symbols 18th-19th century China. Collar with Various Symbols 68982Fragment of a Red-Ground Harshang Carpet early 19th century. Fragment of a Red-Ground Harshang Carpet 447528Embroidered darning sampler. Culture: Dutch. Dimensions: H. 20 5/8 x W. 20 1/2 inches (52.4 x 52.1 cm). Date: 1839. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.Textile Fragment 3rd-4th century. Textile Fragment 443222Border Fragment 17th or 18th century Italy or France. Border Fragment 461104Altar cloth 1610 Greek. Altar cloth. Greek. 1610. Drawnwork, bobbin lace, linen. Textiles-LacesPiece 1760-70 French. Piece 223735Ribbon 18th century French. Ribbon. French. 18th century. Silk. Textiles-TrimmingsPieces for Emperor's Twelve-Symbol Robe late 19th century China. Pieces for Emperor's Twelve-Symbol Robe 70224Fragment early 17th century Italian. Fragment 215614Bobbin Lace (Point d'Angleterre) Cap Crown, mid 18th century. Belgium, Brussels, mid 18th century. Lace, bobbin; average: 22.3 x 23.8 cm (8 3/4 x 9 3/8 in.).Panel. Portugal. Date: 1815-1835. Dimensions: 52.1 x 31.1 cm (20 1/2 x 12 1/4 in.). Cotton, plain weave; roller printed. Origin: Portugal. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.Kerchief (Pañuelo) first half 19th century Philippine. Kerchief (Pañuelo) 226237Cover 17th-18th century. Cover. 17th-18th century. Cotton; embroidered. Attributed to present-day Greece, Janina. Textiles-EmbroideredFragment of a Tunic with a Serpent Motif Shoulder Band 5th-6th century. Fragment of a Tunic with a Serpent Motif Shoulder Band 443658Priest's Robe early 19th century Japan. Priest's Robe. Japan. early 19th century. Silk, metallic thread. Edo period (1615-1868). Textiles-Costumes