Double-Headed Eagle Silk Fragment
Title: Double-Headed Eagle Textile Fragment
Artist: unknown
Date: ca. late 11th/ early 12th century CE
Medium: Silk
Credit line: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 41.92
The silk fragment featuring a double-headed eagle was one of several silks discovered in 1888 in the tomb of a Spanish bishop, Bernat Calbo. While the origin of this fragment is still debated, double-headed eagles are universally associated with royalty and are a representation of power. This luxurious textile, which depicts the double-headed eagle clutching a lion in its talons, is thought to have been gifted to Calbo for his assistance in the conquest of Valencia in 1238. Regardless of if the eagle silk was a gift or seized during the overtaking of Valencia, silks created with this high-quality craftsmanship are regarded as extremely valuable, and often gifted amongst powerful individuals. The eagle silk materializes the relationship created between Calbo and James I of Aragon through their collaborative efforts.