An Ikat Cotton Cloth (burud) with applied gilt decoration, Yemen, 10th century

the rectangular fragment dyed and woven in ikat with brown, cream and blue cotton threads, painted in gold and outlined in black with a Kufic inscription, mounted on linen panel

fragmentary, threads secured to a linen stretcher, as viewed
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
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inscription

A repetition of the words al-Mu'tasim billah

Yemen was famed for its luxury textiles even before the advent of Islam.  The city of San'a, in particular, had extensive facilities for cloth production which were maintained by the early caliphs to meet the demands of the Umayyad and 'Abbasid courts for high-status tiraz. Anthony Welch writes: "A speciality of the city was the striped cotton cloths known as burud, referred to briefly by the Arab geographer al-Muqadassi in the tenth century and praised in the eleventh century by the Isma'ili traveller, Nasir-i Khusrau, who wrote: 'San'a is the largest, richest and most industrious city of the Yemen; her striped coats, stuffs of silk, and embroideries have the greatest reputation.'" (Welch 1979, p.54)

A similar ikat fragment attributed to tenth-century Yemen is in the David Collection (von Folsach 2001, p.369, no.628) and another in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Welch 1979, pp.54-55, no.7).