Fragment with palmette arches with Alhambra wall pattern

This rare, gold-thread silk displays a sophisticated pattern that also decorates the stucco walls of the Alhambra, the imperial palace in Granada. Three superimposed designs form the harmonious pattern on the golden ground. Split-palmette leaves in ivory or green silk form staggered arches displaying a crimson text, Good fortune , written in angular Arabic script with extended strokes that create secondary symmetrical arches. Deep blue palmette leaves create the third level of decoration. The interior walls of the Alhambra would have shimmered with these warm, patterned textiles.