Social fabrics : inscribed textiles from Medieval Egyptian tombs /
McWilliams, Mary,1954-editor.
Sokoly, Jochen A.(Jochen Artur),editor.
Harvard University.Art Museums,host institution.
Social Fabrics looks at tiraz - highly prized textiles enhanced with woven, embroidered, or painted inscriptions in Arabic - to trace the structure of medieval Egyptian society during a transformative period. It reveals a story as interwoven and complex as these delicate objects themselves. A foundational introduction to the topic, this exhibition catalogue combines richly illustrated entries with essays on the history of Egypt at the time, the meaning and materiality of tiraz, and the history of collecting these objects in US institutions. Created throughout the region (including lands now in Iran, Iraq, and Yemen) in the centuries following the Arab Muslim conquest of Egypt, inscribed textiles were a visual form of communication in a society that was ethnically, linguistically, and religiously diverse. Those with inscriptions regulated by the government were particularly valued, proclaiming their owners' membership in the ruling elite.00Exhibition: Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, USA (22.01.-08.05.2022).
Catalog of the exhibition on view at the Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, Massachusetts, from January 22-May 8, 2022.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 148-161).
Threads with meaning: a short introduction / Mary McWilliams and Johen Sokoly -- Under the sign of Mars: a brief historical overview of Egypt / Nasser Rabbat -- Social fabrics: early Islamic Egypt through the lens of inscribed Tiraz textiles / Jochen Sokoly -- Adoption, adaptation, reinterpretation: inscribed textiles in medieval Egypt's Christian and Jewish communities / Elizabeth Dospel Williams -- Interwoven motives: collections of Tiraz Textiles in American museums c. 1890-1950 / Mary McWilliams -- Beyond the surface: technical analysis of Egyptian textiles, c. 4th-12th century / Julie H. Wertz, Meredith Lynn Winter, Robin Hanson, and Meredith Montague
Social Fabrics looks at tiraz - highly prized textiles enhanced with woven, embroidered, or painted inscriptions in Arabic - to trace the structure of medieval Egyptian society during a transformative period. It reveals a story as interwoven and complex as these delicate objects themselves. A foundational introduction to the topic, this exhibition catalogue combines richly illustrated entries with essays on the history of Egypt at the time, the meaning and materiality of tiraz, and the history of collecting these objects in US institutions. Created throughout the region (including lands now in Iran, Iraq, and Yemen) in the centuries following the Arab Muslim conquest of Egypt, inscribed textiles were a visual form of communication in a society that was ethnically, linguistically, and religiously diverse. Those with inscriptions regulated by the government were particularly valued, proclaiming their owners' membership in the ruling elite.00Exhibition: Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge, USA (22.01.-08.05.2022).
Tiraz (Islamic textiles)