FOREST PARK, Missouri (Dispatches) -- Saint Louis Art Museum will host an exhibition “Patterns of Luxury: Islamic Textiles, 11th–17th Centuries” from June 13, 2025 through January 4, 2026.
The upcoming exhibition presents an opportunity to view Islamic textiles from the museum’s collection, many of which have not been exhibited in decades—or ever. The exhibition includes works from across Africa, Europe, and Asia, showing the diversity of Islamic textile traditions.
On display are examples from Fatimid and Ottoman Egypt, Nasrid Spain, Ottoman Turkey, Safavid Persia, and Mughal India. Highlights include tiraz fragments from Fatimid Egypt, woven silk textiles from Islamic Spain, and stylized floral patterns reflecting the artistry of several Islamic cultures. Also featured are carpet fragments and rugs collected by James F. Ballard, a St. Louis collector whose holdings are shared by the Saint Louis Art Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.