Fragment of a Band or Border
Unknown Artist
late 600s–800s
Medium
Wool and linen: tapestry weave
Dimensions
12.7 × 21.8 cm
Classification
Textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
Accession Number
1982.110
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
This lively hunting scene features a central figure grappling with a lion. He is flanked by hunters on horseback brandishing swords. The swirling clothing of the hunters and the dynamic poses of the animals give a sense of movement to the band. The entire scene is bordered with a vibrant floral design. Hunting was a popular artistic theme in pre-Islamic traditions, including Sasanian and Assyrian art, and was then adopted into Islamic artistic vernacular.