Textiles and Fabrics from History

Historic textile fragments showcasing intricate patterns and techniques, including embroidery and weaving, reflecting the artistry of past cultures.

Textile, Medium: silk Technique: plain compound satin, Pattern of peacocks and foliage in rose, yellow, and white on blue, very loosely woven, ground in satin weave., Sicily, Italy, early 18th century, woven textiles, Textile

Border Made 301 CE-600 CE Egypt. Linen and wool, slit tapestry weave . Coptic

Fragment; cotton on bast fiber; 1947-84-1

Pillow Cover, 1600s - 1700s. Greece, Crete, 17th-18th century. Embroidery: silk on linen tabby ground; overall: 49 x 35 cm (19 5/16 x 13 3/4 in.).

Textile, Medium: silk Technique: plain compound satin, Pattern of peacocks and foliage in rose, yellow, and white on blue, very loosely woven, ground in satin weave., Sicily, Italy, early 18th century, woven textiles, Textile

Rękaw tuniki koptyjskiej. warsztat egipski, workshop

Embroidered sampler 1768 Sarah Lawrence American. Embroidered sampler 16605

Fragment (Iran); silk, metallic thread

Esther Hansen, Historical Printed Cotton, c 1939 Historical Printed Cotton

Drawing, Design for a Woven Fabric; France; brush and gouache, brush and black paint on oily tracing paper; 39.8 × 48.5 cm (15 11/16 × 19 1/8 in.)

Piece 18th-19th century Japan. Piece 67656

Fragment, Medium: Warp: S-spun linen. Wefts: S-spun linen, S-spun wools Technique: slit tapestry with supplementary weft wrapping, Eight-pointed star made up of diamonds and squares., Egypt, 8th-9th century, woven textiles, Fragment

Piece 18th-19th century Japan. Piece 66810

Textile Fragment with Double-Headed Eagles and Facing Lions. Dimensions: H. 7 7/8 in. (20 cm)W. 19 1/2 in. (49.5 cm). Date: 13th century.The design on this fragmentary textile consists of two rows of roundels: the upper roundels contain double-headed eagles, and the lower ones, confronted lions. The roundels are situated against a dense vegetal background. The luxurious medium, together with the combination of these two creatures, would have carried regal significance in the Seljuq period and beyond. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Roundel 7th-8th century. Roundel 445817

Towel or Napkin Made 1801-1900 Turkey. Embroidered stylized tree and floral design . Anonymous

Fragment (From an Orphrey Band) Made 1401-1500 Italy. Silk and gilt-animal-substrate-wrapped linen, warp-float faced satin weave with twill interlacings of secondary binding warps and supplementary patterning wefts .

Fragment, Medium: linen, wool Technique: tapestry, Linen tabby containing complete tapestry band in very good condition. In center a little soumak is within a white circle with a white animal and human () figure. To the left and right are areas divided into two horizontal registers; upper left same as lower right except direction is reversed; same true of lower left and upper right. One register containes flower or bud leaf, lion; the other leaf, donkey, two half-palmetto leaves together. Ground throughout bright red with edging of both sides in areas of registers white angular half-spirals., Egypt, 5th-6th century, woven textiles, Fragment

Fragment, Medium: silk, metallic thread Technique: compound weave with supplementary weft, White horizontally ribbed ground. Traces of vertical stripe in extra warp, but nearly worn away. Brocaded design in pink, tan, green, yellow, blue, and silver metallic thread. Design shows large drooping branch with flower heads and two curving trees, a pond and rustic fence in the background., France, 1750-1800, woven textiles, Fragment

Fragment of a Skirt Border, 1600s - 1700s. Greece, Crete, 17th-18th century. Embroidery: silk on linen tabby ground; overall: 90.2 x 61.6 cm (35 1/2 x 24 1/4 in.).

Embroidered Picture (England); silk, glass beads, pearls

Sidewall, Leather, stamped, silvered, painted, Black field, diapered scrollwork, with sprays of flowers and foliage., Flanders, ca. 1680, Wallcoverings, Sidewall

Fragment Made 969 CE-1171 Egypt. Linen and silk, tapestry weave . Islamic

Untitled. Date/Period: 1601/1700. Author: UNKNOWN.

Piece 18th-19th century China (). Piece 66252

Drawing, Design for a Woven Fabric; France; various gouache colors, black paint on oily tracing paper, mounted; 39.6 × 48.6 cm (15 9/16 × 19 1/8 in.)

Segmentum from a Tunic, mid 700s - mid 800s. Egypt, Abbasid period, mid-8th to mid-9th century. Tapestry; wool and linen; overall: 11.2 x 11.5 cm (4 7/16 x 4 1/2 in.).

Panel first half 17th century British The designs were probably intended to be cut out and appliquéd elsewhere.. Panel 222174

Fragments, Medium: silk on linen Technique: embroidered on plain weave, Mughal-style fragments of embroidered silk on linen. Design shows man with dagger on horseback surrounded by plants and animals., India, 17th century, embroidery & stitching, Fragments

Fragment, Medium: linen warp, wool and linen weft Technique: tapestry woven with slits and wrapping (soumak), Tapestry woven square with a deep border surrounding a square field, which contains a medallion with a figure moving to the left holding a circular object, cape fluttering. Soumak defines forms and borders. Hatching in spandrels. Wide border of acanthus leaves and flowers., Egypt, 4th-5th century, woven textiles, Fragment

Fragment, Medium cotton Technique: printed with engraved roller on plain weave, Furnishing textile fragment showing repeating pattern of an armored figure, possibly Cybele, seated in a chariot drawn by lions, the reins held by cupid. Britannia, leaning on her shield is drawn in a seashell pulled by horses. This is the traditional configuration found on British coins. She holds a trident, symbolizing Britains domination of the seas. In front, flies a heralding angel and in the water behind, a figure blows on a conch shell. Interspaced throughout are flowers, sea shells and chinoiserie figures., England, mid- 18th-early 19th century, printed, dyed & painted textiles, Fragment

Towel or Napkin (). Turkey. Date: 1601-1700. Dimensions: 168.7 x 54.5 cm (66 3/8 x 21 1/2 in.). Embroidered. Origin: Turkey. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Panel (For a Bedcover) Made 1601-1700 Greece. Linen, plain weave; embroidered with silk in running (pattern darning) and stem stitches; edged with silk, twined fringe .

Design for an Embroidered or Woven Horizontal Border of the 'Fabrique de St. Ruf', Fabrique de Saint Ruf, Lyon, France, Brush and white gouache on glazed tracing paper, Roughs with leaves and a cone each, directed toward left, for a strip over a row of leaves with seeds., France, 1805-1815, Drawing, Drawing

Tapestry, Medium: silk, metal wrapped linen Technique: lampas (two interconnected twills), Large palmette with parts of addorsed birds in blue and tan., Italy, 14th century, woven textiles, Tapestry

Bliżej Kultury unknown

Europe, Spain. EUROPE, SPAIN, Astorga, mosaic from the Roman town at the Roman Museum

Design for a Brocade, Fragment, Brush and gouache, brush and black paint on oily tracing paper, The decoration consists of irregularly disposed flower motifs. A big-sized and two smaller fantastical flower boughs and a calyx palmette are to be brocaded. Monochrome leaf boughs form a background decoration., France, 1825-1850, Drawing, Drawing

Body, fragments of paper wallpaper with a church in white with the image of the Mother of God and Puttami; 1550-1650 (1550-00-00-1650-00-00);Maria (Mother of Jesus Christ), Care for the monuments of the past, collection, Wojciechowski Jarosław, collection

Embroidered Coverlet. Dated: c. 1936. Dimensions: overall: 40.8 x 34.6 cm (16 1/16 x 13 5/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 82" long; 82" wide. Medium: watercolor, gouache, and graphite on paper. Museum: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. Author: Jules Lefevere.

Decorated Initial P with Roses from a Manuscript 1300-1500 Europe. Manuscript cutting in tempera, colored inks, and silver leaf, with incising, and with Latin inscriptions in brownish black and red inks, ruled in red, on vellum .

Design for an Embroidered or Woven Border of the 'Fabrique de St. Ruf', Fabrique de Saint Ruf, Lyon, France, White gouache on oily tracing paper, The entire design is composed of disks. The design is a variation of 1920-36-9. Similar nosegays, of which one and the bowknot of another are shown, are c onnected by a festoon of flower boughs and by a chain with tassels. No bottom row., France, 1800-1825, Drawing, Drawing

Valance. Culture: British. Dimensions: H. 21 x W. 68 inches (53.3 x 172.7 cm). Date: last quarter 16th century. Museum: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA.

Roundel from a Tunic with Palmette Tree, 700s-800s. Egypt or Syria, 8th-9th century. Compound twill, silk; overall: 18.1 x 18.4 cm (7 1/8 x 7 1/4 in.); mounted: 27.9 x 26.7 cm (11 x 10 1/2 in.).

American 20th Century, Plate 23 Painting on Buckskin From Portfolio Spanish Colonial Designs of New Mexico, 1935 1942 Plate 23: Painting on Buckskin: From Portfolio Spanish Colonial Designs of New Mexico

Border Strips of a Skirt, 1600s - 1700s. Greece, Crete, 17th-18th century. Embroidery: silk on linen tabby ground;

Textile Fragment, Figures Peruvian; central coast

American 20th Century, Painted Chest, 1935 1942 Painted Chest

Textile Fragment 6th-7th century. Textile Fragment 444163

Picture. England. Date: 1634. Dimensions: 22.8 × 28.6 cm (9 × 11 1/4 in.). Silk, satin weave; embroidered. Origin: England. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Blue border tile, waving floral pattern with tulips, above and below blue border, edge tile wall tile tile sculpture ceramic earthenware glaze, baked 2x glazed painted

Drawing, Design for the Embroidery of the Left Bottom Corner of a Man's Waistcoat; France; brush and gouache on glazed tracing paper; 9.8 × 17.9 cm (3 7/8 × 7 1/16 in.)

TOMA DE ARCILA - TAPIZ SIGLO XV. Author: PASQUIER GRENIER (1447-1493) TEJEDOR DE TAPICES FL. Location: COLEGIATA DE LA ASUNCION. Pastrana. Guadalajara. SPAIN.

Sampler. Germany. Date: 1719. Dimensions: 127 x 38 cm (50 x 15 in.). Linen, plain weave; embroidered with linen and silk. Origin: Germany. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, USA.

Panel, Leather, Austria/ Central Europe, 18th century, architecture, Decorative Arts, Panel

Charles Sprague Pearce, Study for a Border Design, 1890 1897 Study for a Border Design

Fragment Made 1801-1900 Iran. Colored silk on linen .

Bedspread. Dated: c. 1936. Dimensions: overall: 21.8 x 23.2 cm (8 9/16 x 9 1/8 in.) Original IAD Object: 87" long; 72" wide. Medium: watercolor and graphite on paper. Museum: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. Author: Mary Berner.

Saddle or Traveler's Rug 19th century China. Saddle or Traveler's Rug. China. 19th century. Foundation: cotton warp and weft; wool knotting. Qing dynasty (1644-1911). Textiles-Rugs

John Collins, Over Mantel Picture, c 1939 Over Mantel Picture

Ceiling Decoration, Palace of Amenhotep III New Kingdom William J. Palmer-Jones British ca. 1390-1352 B.C. View more. Ceiling Decoration, Palace of Amenhotep III. William J. Palmer-Jones. ca. 1390-1352 B.C.. Tempera on Paper. New Kingdom. From Egypt, Upper Egypt, Thebes, Malqata. Dynasty 18

Piece 18th-19th century Japan. Piece 67749

Ikat Fragment mid-11th century Different regions, even different towns within the same region, specialized in distinctive textile products. Yemen was well known for a fabric with characteristic irregular stripes, known as ikat, which weavers in Egypt learned to imitate during the Fatimid period. This ikat textile, attributed to Egypt, bears bands of ornamental inscription flanking a central row of starshaped cartouches enclosing palmettes which alternate with ovoid cartouches containing griffins, all tapestrywoven into the Yemenistyle matrix.. Ikat Fragment 448072

Piece 19th century () Japan. Piece 65780

Piece 18th-19th century Japan. Piece. Japan. 18th-19th century. Silk. Edo period (1615-1868). Textiles-Woven

Sidewall, Block-printed paper, Vertical strip picturing details of Gothic architecture in grisaille, the center containing doorways with figures in green and brown alternating with circular medallions depicting a railroad station with a train and an underpass., France, ca. 1845, transportation, Wallcoverings, Sidewall

Rank Badge (China); silk and metallic embroidery on silk foundation

Sampler, Medium: silk on linen Technique: cross stitch on plain weave foundation. Counted stitches., Scattered motifs including a dog under a tree, flowers and eastern potentate with servant. Irregular shape and hemmed on four sides., Italy, 1800-1850, embroidery & stitching, Sampler

COMENTARIOS AL APOCALIPSIS AÑO 1086 - CODICE 1- FOL 1 RECTO, ALFA - SIGLO XI. Author: BEATO DE LIEBANA. Location: CATEDRAL-BIBLIOTECA. BURGO DE OSMA. Soria. SPAIN.

ARQUETA ESPAÑOLA FABRICADA EN AMERICA (SIGLO XVI). COLECCIÓN PRIVADA.

Retablo (St. Longinus). Dated: 1937. Dimensions: overall: 65.1 x 51.7 cm (25 5/8 x 20 3/8 in.) Original IAD Object: As drawn. Medium: watercolor, colored pencil, graphite, and heightening on paper. Museum: National Gallery of Art, Washington DC. Author: Eldora P. Lorenzini.

Valance (Greece); silk embroidery on linen foundation

Fragment (Italy); silk, linen, metallic

Design for a Waistcoat, Pencil and various gouache colors on paper, Design for the embroidery at the left bottom corner of a man's waistcoat. The left edges of the waistcoat and of the pocket and the latters bottom edge are shown, brown stripes. The flap is outlined with pencil. Four bunches of flowers, each at the bottom of a wreath are beneath the bottom edge of the pocket. Three leaf pyramids are in the intervals. A garland connecting two alternating bunches of flowers is shown beside the rising edge of the waistcoat., France, 1780-1790, Drawing, Drawing

Sampler. Denmark. Date: 1757. Dimensions: 32.5 × 33 cm (12 5/8 × 13 in.). Linen, plain weave; embroidered in silk. Origin: Denmark. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Textile Fragment 4th-6th century Byzantine. Textile Fragment. Byzantine. 4th-6th century. Linen, wool. Textiles-Woven

Textile, Medium: wool, linen Technique: tapestry weave, plain weave, Weft-faced plain weave natural wool fabric patterned by a tapestry-woven panel with slit, dovetailed, non-horizontal wefts, and wrapping. Central roundel with a large figure and four smaller (angels) Border of small Coptic crossed above and below. Large black, red and yellow horizontal stripes with pairs of seated and standing figures., Egypt, 500-800, woven textiles, Textile

Square with Warrior 5th-6th century The heads without necks and the large "jewels" and small pearls surrounding this warrior are features inspired by Sasanian silks.. Square with Warrior 443632

Square Tile late 13th century This stonepaste tile depicts a horse standing between two haloed figures. In the upper register, an elephant, a panther, and a tiger face toward the left. Likely from a building at the Ilkhanid summer palace of Takht-i Sulaiman, this tile was one of many depicting animals and figures in procession above a primary scene. The use of cobalt and turquoise glazes was typical of ceramics produced during the Ilkhanid period, particularly in Kashan.. Square Tile 450367

Fragment, Medium: linen, wool Technique: woven, Fragment of woven wool with polychromy design showing a pair of facing birds, floral medallion and dark shapes. In main body of the garment, at given intervals, triple weft threads are run through. Mounted on plain weave linen., Egypt, 6th-7th century, woven textiles, Fragment

Silk Fragment, before 1779. Philippe de Lasalle (French, 1723-1805). Lampas weave with cannetillé ground, brocaded; overall: 29.9 x 54.6 cm (11 3/4 x 21 1/2 in.).

Edward F Engel, Masonic Sign, c 1941 Masonic Sign

Calligraphic Fragment 14th-15th century. Calligraphic Fragment 452760

Portfolio, 20th century, 25 x 19 in. (63.5 x 48.3 cm), painted leather,cotton, China, 20th century

Fragment 1809 Grand Frères. Fragment 222401

Blazon probably second half 13th century. Blazon 452402

Roerich, Nicholas (1874-1947) Private Collection 1919 44,5x73 Oil on canvas

Sampler, Medium: silk embroidery on linen foundation Technique: embroidered in withdrawn element work with satin and overcasting stitches on plain weave foundation, Seventy-one squares and bands of pattern as well as a deer and an alphabet in withdrawn element work in white. The mouth and the eye of the deer are in colored silk., Mexico, 19th century, embroidery & stitching, Sampler

Fragment of a Tiraz-Style Textile, 1081 - 1101. Egypt, Fatimid period, Caliphate of al-Mustansir or al-Musta'li, c. AH 475-495 (1081-1101). Tabby ground with inwoven tapestry ornament; linen and silk; overall: 7 x 21.6 cm (2 3/4 x 8 1/2 in.).

Fresco depicting a vase of flowers from Florence. Dated 17th Century

Marion Gaylord, Valance (Detail), c 1941 Valance (Detail)

Textile Fragment, Unascertainable or Skirt, Fragment Paracas Necropolis. , 200-600 C.E. Camelid fiber, 3 9/16 × 3 1/2 in. (9 × 8.9 cm). Arts of the Americas 200-600 C.E.

Fragment of a Clavus with Man on Horseback, 700s. Egypt, 8th century. Tapestry; linen and wool; overall: 11.5 x 10 cm (4 1/2 x 3 15/16 in.).

Chef-de-piece (Furnishing Fabric) Made 1785-1885 France. Cotton, plain weave; block printed . Style of Jean Baptiste Pillement (Designer)

Van de Brabantse revolution. Banner in Ecru, a dark blue medallion in the middle, with the coat of arms of Holland in inner cartouche in Rose, covered with crown, and in the upper corners a roset surrounded by green. The medallion rests on a gold-colored trophy of guns, lances, drums, trumpets, banners etc. horizontally below one arrow sleeve over which a blue banderole with illegible text. Two dependent laurel packs are also draped over the arrow sleeve. The hem is painted with a border of triangles in red, white (originally yellow, over-pained) and black, trimmed with green trim. In the corners is a square in the colors red, white (originally yellow), black and green. Parade side: Dito oval, with the weapon of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Praise and trophy as on the front, but with minor changes. Almost unreadable on the blue banderol: voluntary lo vendeghem. Zoom protection as a front.

Sampler, Maria Landes, American, Medium: silk embroidery on linen foundation Technique: embroidered in cross stitch on plain weave foundation, Alphabet, text (in German), and symmetrically arranged motifs of stars, flowering trees, and geometric patterns resembling woven patterns. With the inscription at the bottom., Pennsylvania, USA, 1806-13, embroidery & stitching, Sampler

Lotus from a Set of Initiation Cards (Tsakali). Southern Tibet. Date: 1299-1499. Dimensions: 16 x 14.5 cm (6 1/4 x 5 3/4 in.). Ink and watercolor on paper. Origin: Tibet. Museum: The Chicago Art Institute, Chicago, USA.

Design for an Embroidered or Woven Horizontal Border of the 'Fabrique de St. Ruf,' Unfinished, Fabrique de Saint Ruf, Lyon, France, Brush and white gouache on glazed tracing paper pasted on paper, A garland of boughs with leaves, over a stripe., France, 1805-1815, Drawing, Drawing

Two Alternate Decorative Designs for Ceiling 19th century Anonymous, French, 19th century French. Two Alternate Decorative Designs for Ceiling 357960

Carpet Fragment late 16th-early 17th century Among the rarest of all classical Persian carpets is the Khorasan type, from northeastern Iran. Early Khorasan carpets survive only in fragmentary form, and this particular example is one of five known fragments from a carpet made in the Safavid period. Originally part of the right border, its decoration consists of a pattern of elaborate cartouches alternating with octafoil medallions that contain open blossoms. Despite its fragmented state, the piece is in excellent condition, with good pile and splendid colors in dark blue, golden yellow, ivory, and red.. Carpet Fragment 454032

Fragment, Medium: silk, metallic thread Technique: cut voided supplementary warp pile (velvet) in a satin foundation with supplementary weft, White horizontally ribbed ground shot with flat strips of silver metal thread, which are occasionally floated to form figured oval medallions that enclose human figures in cut velvet pile. Light blue, pink and yellow velvet cut pile forms alternate figures of a man and woman. Letters in blue pile: over the man, U.EC.P.DE.A.S.TU.; over the woman: ULC.P.DE.A.STU. Letters are reversed., France, late 18th century, woven textiles, Fragment

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