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Fragment with eagles in roundels from the Reliquary of Saint Librada in Siguenza Cathedral
1100-50
The Cleveland Museum of Art
Cleveland, United States
This fragment belongs to a group of Spanish silks characterized by their design of aligned, slightly oval roundels that frame animals or birds. A single heraldic eagle fills the center of the roundel, and under his talons are Arabic inscriptions that read <em>Blessing</em>. The beaded border is animated with composite beasts and harpies. It was made during a period when the Islamic cities of Spain were the leading producers of luxury silks in Europe.
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Details
- Title: Fragment with eagles in roundels from the Reliquary of Saint Librada in Siguenza Cathedral
- Date Created: 1100-50
- Physical Dimensions: Overall: 36.8 x 40.6 cm (14 1/2 x 16 in.); Mount: 47 x 50.8 cm (18 1/2 x 20 in.); Framed: 49.5 x 53.3 cm (19 1/2 x 21 in.)
- Provenance: the fragment was found c. 1948 in the Cathedral of Siguenza, Spain, in the reliquary of Saint Librada (1st c.), whose relics were restored to the Cathedral in the 12th century; it is said to have been brought there from Almeria in 1147 by Alphonse VII; (Paul O. Berliz, New York)., (Paul O. Berliz, New York, NY, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art), The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
- Type: Textile
- Rights: CC0
- External Link: https://clevelandart.org/art/1952.15
- Medium: Silk and gold thread: lampas weave
- Inscriptions: inscription beneath claws of the large heraldic eagle: "baraka" (Blessing); another inscription on the wings seems to be of pseudo-Gothic letters.
- Department: Textiles
- Culture: Spain, Almeria
- Credit Line: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
- Collection: T - Islamic
- Accession Number: 1952.15
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