Explore the Collection

The Textile Museum of Canada’s collection consists of more than 15,000 objects including a salmon skin suit from China; 2,000 year old Nazca fragments from Peru; and a hooked rug by artist Florence Ryder (Standing Buffalo Reserve, Saskatchewan) that incorporates traditional Sioux designs.

While only a small percentage of our collection can be displayed in our galleries at once, our online collection allows you to access all 15,000+ objects from over 200 regions of the world, 24 hours a day! Explore some of our favourite textiles in the curated groups below or follow your own interests by searching or filtering the collection. Add your finds to ‘Today’s Favourites’ to create a group that you can download or share.

Explorez notre collection 

La collection du Textile Museum of Canada comprend plus de 15 000 objets, dont une veste chinoise en peau de saumon, des fragments textiles datant de 2 000 ans et tissés par les Nazcas du Pérou et un tapis au crochet de l’artiste Florence Ryder (réserve de Standing Buffalo, Saskatchewan) qui intègre des motifs traditionnels sioux.

Nos salles ne nous permettent hélas d’exposer qu’un tout un petit pourcentage de notre collection à la fois. Cependant, notre collection en ligne vous donne accès à plus de 15 000 objets provenant de plus de 200 régions du monde, et ce 24 heures par jour. Découvrez quelques-unes de nos pièces textiles préférées grâce aux sélections ci-dessous ou suivez le fil de vos idées grâce à notre système de recherche par mots-clés et par filtres.

Rug

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The narrow band of helicopters across the middle of this rug connects Afghanistan’s recent wars with early Islamic history. The warrior holding two swords over his head is the legendary Islamic warrior Layth bin Qays bin Abbas, whose grandfather was an uncle of the prophet Muhammad. Brandishing a sword in each hand, he led a battle against the infidel Hindu forces (hence the elephants) who were protecting Kabul’s holiest Hindu temple. A border of geometric tanks surrounds the rug, which was woven in the Islamic year 1369, equivalent to 1991 AD. Islamic forces won the battle. The Mosque of the King of Two Swords today occupies the site of the Hindu temple. Originally dedicated in 1544, restored by King Amanullah’s mother in 1920, largely destroyed in the 1980s during the post-Soviet civil war, it has once again been beautifully reconstructed.

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