95 - Fragment of a lampas featuring heraldic lions, Spain, Granada (?), second half of the 15th century; lampas woven from yellow, red, and cream silk on a green satin background.

Fragment of a lampas featuring heraldic lions, Spain, Granada (?), second half of the 15th century; lampas woven from yellow, red, and cream silk on a green satin background. A dense design of two long, curved leaves forming a palmette, their tips bearing pomegranates, merge into a fleur-de-lis framed by two crowned rampant lions gazing at the viewer. White arabesques outlined in red connect these cartouches arranged in a staggered pattern; a stylized chevron coat of arms is set within a central space. Left selvedge preserved (in good condition despite broken weaves and minor wear), 27.5 x 47 cm. Several versions of this lampas design are documented, with fragments found in the collections of major museums in Europe and North America. The heraldic motifs of the rampant lions and the coat of arms are believed to originate from the design of a famous brocade woven in Granada at the end of the Nasrid period, a fragment of which is notably preserved at the Cluny Museum (Cl 21447). Our specimen is in every respect comparable to two fragments, one of which is held by the Abegg Foundation in Switzerland (Inv. No. 1401) and the other by the Metropolitan Museum (1981.372). Provenance: an important French collection assembled during the first third of the 20th century. Bibliography: Otavsky (K.) and Muhammad Sal?m (M.), *Mittelalterliche Textilien*. I: Egypt, Persia, and Mesopotamia; Spain and North Africa, Abegg Foundation, Riggisberg, 1995. No. 145 reproduced on p. 247.