Fabrics Fit for Angels

Within Islamic painting the depiction of angels generally occurs in the context of temporal power and authority, of religious narrative and of the garden, both heaven­ly and terrestrial. It is their wings which identify their inclusion within the pictorial composition rather than any distinguishing attire but, that said, it appears that while the Islamic artists employed the visual metaphor of luxurious contemporary court fabrics to evoke the image of heavenly splendour and magnificence, they were less inclined to dress these heavenly beneficent beings in types of garments too closely associated with the styling of court robes.