Fragment

Accession number	BZ.1953.2.73
Attribution and Date	Egypt, 7th–10th c.
Measurements	H. (weft) 13.5 cm × W. (warp) 9.7 cm (5 5/16 × 3 13/16 in.)
Technique and Material	Tapestry weave in polychrome wool and undyed linen
Acquisition history	Crocker Collection, San Francisco, Mrs. William Henry Crocker (Ethel Willard Sperry Crocker, 1861–1934); Loaned to the San Francisco Museum of Art until 1953; Gift of Mrs. Andre de Limur (Ethel Mary Crocker de Limur, 1891–1964), Washington, DC, in 1953; Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington, DC.

This fragment in the shape of a tree is rendered in tapestry weave in beige, peach, yellow, light green, and dark blue. The tree’s branches sprout a variety of fruits, including pomegranates, flowers with petals, and bunches of fruits resembling grapes. The center of the tree is dominated by larger semicircular and trilobate forms, the identity of which is uncertain.

It is difficult to ascertain whether the tree appeared as part of a garment or on a furnishing textile. The thick, paired warps might point to its being part of a larger furnishing fabric. Although Deborah Thompson suggested that the central motifs represent a sitting human figure, the schematic nature of the design seems likely to portray floral patterns.D. Thompson, “Catalogue of Textiles in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection” (unpublished catalogue, Washington, DC, 1976), no. 158. The density of patterning imparts a fussy, busy quality to the overall design.

—Elizabeth Dospěl Williams, May 2019

Notes

Accession number	BZ.1953.2.73
Attribution and Date	Egypt, 7th–10th c.
Measurements	H. (weft) 13.5 cm × W. (warp) 9.7 cm (5 5/16 × 3 13/16 in.)
Technique and Material	Tapestry weave in polychrome wool and undyed linen
Acquisition history	Crocker Collection, San Francisco, Mrs. William Henry Crocker (Ethel Willard Sperry Crocker, 1861–1934); Loaned to the San Francisco Museum of Art until 1953; Gift of Mrs. Andre de Limur (Ethel Mary Crocker de Limur, 1891–1964), Washington, DC, in 1953; Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington, DC.

D. Thompson, “Catalogue of Textiles in the Dumbarton Oaks Collection” (unpublished catalogue, Washington, DC, 1976), no. 158.

Accession number	BZ.1953.2.73
Attribution and Date	Egypt, 7th–10th c.
Measurements	H. (weft) 13.5 cm × W. (warp) 9.7 cm (5 5/16 × 3 13/16 in.)
Technique and Material	Tapestry weave in polychrome wool and undyed linen
Acquisition history	Crocker Collection, San Francisco, Mrs. William Henry Crocker (Ethel Willard Sperry Crocker, 1861–1934); Loaned to the San Francisco Museum of Art until 1953; Gift of Mrs. Andre de Limur (Ethel Mary Crocker de Limur, 1891–1964), Washington, DC, in 1953; Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection, Washington, DC.