Tablecloth
Reversible blue and white brocade
The very first purchased textile of The Lanzetta Collection, this blue and white commercially woven, cotton tablecloth features a repeating geometric and stylized floral design. The central field, an interlocking lattice of quatrefoil-like floral motifs is surrounded by wide geometric borders of diamonds, circles, and quatrefoils. The design draws on the broader vocabulary of Islamic geometric and arabesque ornament.
The piece was purchased in Luxor where textiles with Islamic-inspired decorative patterns were commonly produced for the tourist market.
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Therefore, it may have been made specifically as a decorative or souvenir textile rather than as a textile representing a particular regional Egyptian weaving tradition. The design itself is not uniquely Egyptian. Geometric and floral patterns of this type circulate widely across Islamic decorative traditions and similar visual vocabularies can be found in textiles, tiles, architectural ornament, manuscripts and other decorative arts across the Mediterranean basin, North Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia.
Title: Tablecloth
Date: 1978
Geography: Luxor, Egypt
Medium: Cotton, machine woven
Dimensions: H. 45 in. W. 42 in.
Provenance: Purchased in Luxor, Egypt
Inventory Number: EG.02
