Patterns of Luxury: Islamic Textiles, 11th–17th Centuries at Saint Louis Art Museum

 

Persian (Culture)
Safavid dynasty, 1501–1736 (Period)
Textile Pieced with Two Panels with Design of Columns of Flowers, 17th century
Silk, cut and voided velvet weave with satin weave foundation and silver- and gilt-thread brocading wefts
23 × 26 3/16 in. (58.4 × 66.5 cm)
Museum Purchase
© Saint Louis Art Museum

 
 

Patterns of Luxury

Islamic Textiles, 11th-17th Centuries

 

June 13, 2025 – January 4, 2026

Patterns of Luxury: Islamic Textiles, 11th–17th Centuries showcases rare and magnificent examples of SLAM’s collection of early Islamic textiles, including many that have not been on view in decades and some that have never before been exhibited at the Museum.

Textiles have had an important place in Islamic civilization since the seventh century. As the influence of Islam radiated outward from Arabia through conquest and trade, textile patterns absorbed various local design aesthetics. Featured in this exhibition are works spanning three continents—Africa, Europe, and Asia. They demonstrate the diversity of textile traditions with luxurious examples from Egypt in the Fatimid (909–1171) and Ottoman (1517–1867) periods, Islamic Spain during the Nasrid dynasty (1232–1492), Ottoman Turkey (1281–1924), Persia (present-day Iran) during the Safavid dynasty (1501–1736), and India during the Mughal period (1526–1858).

The exhibition showcases textiles with inscriptions (tiraz) that were popular during the early and middle Islamic periods—the 7th through 13th centuries—along with several pieces from Nasrid Spain that show the influence of architectural decoration and were hung as curtains or murals. Also included are carpet fragments and rugs from Egypt, Spain, Turkey, Iran, and India, collected by St. Louisan James F. Ballard (1851–1931), whose extraordinary collection is divided between The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Saint Louis Art Museum.

Patterns of Luxury is curated by Philip Hu, curator of Asian art.

 
 
 
 

Exhibition Preview

 

Persian (Culture)
Safavid dynasty, 1501–1736 (Period)
Textile Fragment with Design of Rose and Nightingale (gul-u-bulbul) Pattern, late
17th century
Silk and metallic threads brocaded on metallic ground
7 1/2 × 26 1/4 in. (19.1 × 66.7 cm)
Museum Purchase
© Saint Louis Art Museum

Indian (Culture)
Mughal dynasty, 1526–1858 (Period)
Shah Jahan, Mughal, reigned 1628–1658 (Reign)
Fragment of a Lattice-and-Blossom Carpet, mid-17th century silk (warp and weft) and pashmina (fine goat fleece) pile, asymmetrical knot (open to the left)
22 15/16 × 11 in. (58.3 × 27.9 cm)
Framed: 37 1/8 × 19 × 1 1/2 in. (94.3 × 48.3 × 3.8 cm)
Gift of James F. Ballard
© Saint Louis Art Museum

Spanish (Culture)
Mudéjar period, c.1100–c.1499 (Period)
Nasrid dynasty, 1232–1492 (Dynasty)
Curtain Panel with Design of Horizontal Bands of Geometric Patterns and Arabic Inscriptions in Kufic Script, late 14th century
Silk, lampas weave
40 5/8 × 14 5/8 in. (103.2 × 37.1 cm)
Mount: 40 3/4 × 14 3/4 in. (103.5 × 37.5 cm)
Museum Purchase
© Saint Louis Art Museum

Turkish (Culture)
Ottoman period, 1281–1924 (Period)
Carpet with Design of Çintāmaṇi Pattern on White Ground with Cloud Band
Border, late 16th–early 17th century
Wool, symmetrical knot
61 x 52 1/2 in. (154.9 x 133.4 cm)
Gift of James F. Ballard
© Saint Louis Art Museum

Persian (Culture)
Safavid dynasty, 1501–1736 (Period)
Shah 'Abbās I, Persian, reigned 1587–1629 (Reign)
Textile Panel with Design of Flowering Plants and Pools of Coiled Waves, early
17th century
Cut and voided velvet-weave silk with satin-weave foundation and silver- and gilt-thread brocading wefts
44 1/2 × 27 1/2 in. (113 × 69.9 cm)
Museum Purchase
© Saint Louis Art Museum

Spanish (Culture)
Mudéjar period, c.1100–c.1499 (Period)
Nasrid dynasty, 1232–1492 (Dynasty)
55:1939
Panel with Design of Bands of Arabic Inscriptions in Thuluth Script Alternating with Geometric Motifs, early 15th century
Silk, lampas weave
37 1/2 × 14 in. (95.3 × 35.6 cm)
Museum Purchase
© Saint Louis Art Museum

Indian (Culture)
Mughal dynasty, 1526–1858 (Period)
Length of Fabric with Design of Poppies, late 17th century
Twill-weave silk brocaded with silver-foil-wrapped threads
23 1/2 × 28 1/2 in. (59.7 × 72.4 cm)
Museum Purchase
© Saint Louis Art Museum

Spanish (Culture)
Mudéjar period, c.1100–c.1499 (Period)
Nasrid dynasty, 1232–1492 (Dynasty)
Textile Fragment from the Chasuble of San Valero with Design of Star and Cross Pattern, 13th century
Silk, Cyprus gold thread, and metallic-wrapped silk, in compound weave with weft-float patterning
Silk, gilt animal substrate around a silk core; taqueté
6 3/4 × 17 1/4 in. (17.1 × 43.8 cm)
Museum Purchase
© Saint Louis Art Museum

 

Egyptian (Culture)
Fatimid period, 909–1171 (Period)
108:1952
Fragment of a Tiraz-Style Textile with Design of Linked Hexagonal Medallions with Hares and Confronted Peacocks, 11th century
Linen with silk in tapestry weave
Textile: 8 7/8 × 13 9/16 in. (22.5 × 34.4 cm)
Mount: 9 1/16 × 14 1/2 in. (23 × 36.8 cm)
Museum Purchase
© Saint Louis Art Museum