the metropolitan museum of art

Fabric, Wallcovering & Trimming

collection

This captivating collection, created in collaboration with The Met, draws on artworks and objects from across nine of The Met’s 17 curatorial departments to create a rich mosaic of historical narratives. Each design is a celebration of artisanship, inspired by exquisite forms and cultural traditions. Following our first collaboration with The Met in the 1970s, we bring museum magic into the home once again in homage to history and the grand beauty of art.

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Scalamandre | The Met - Fabric, Wallcovering and Trimming Collection

Islamic Art

The Met's collection of Islamic art ranges in date from the seventh to the twenty-first century. Its more than 15,000 objects reflect the great diversity and range of the cultural traditions of Islam, with works from as far westward as Spain and Morocco and as far eastward as Central Asia and Indonesia. Comprising both sacred and secular objects, the collection reveals the mutual influence of artistic practices such as calligraphy, and the exchange of motifs such as vegetal ornament (the arabesque) and geometric patterning in both realms.

SCALAMANDRÉ OFFERINGS INSPIRED BY ISLAMIC ART

TAJ EMBROIDERED SISAL

Wallcovering

Wi FAVORITE ORDER SAMPLE Ca ADD TO CART

KARANFIL BLOCK PRINT WALLPAPER

Wallcovering

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KEMHA WOVEN

Fabric

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6. c.

Kemha Woven

SC 27326

Kemha Woven

Material Width: 59"
Horizontial Repeat: 29.5"
Vertical Repeat: 28"

Fragmentary Loom Width with Wavy-Vine Pattern

Fragmentary Loom Width with Wavy-Vine Pattern

Attributed to Turkey, probably Istanbul
Silk, metal-wrapped thread, lampas (kemha);
ca. 1565–80
Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1952 52.20.21

Popular among the elite of 16th-century Istanbul, kemha weaves were spectacular, large-pattern silks that were favored materials for luxury garments. Their glimmering patterns in multi-weave designs catch light and create dimension in any space.

Inspired by the textiles of the Ottoman empire, Kemha Woven is a viscose-and-cotton weave that features recurring tulip and pomegranate motifs. Originating as wildflowers indigenous to eastern Persia and western Anatolia, now Turkey, tulips became a symbol of wealth, power, and the divine, while the pomegranate served as an emblem of prosperity and abundance.