Silk with Griffins first half 13th century Central Asian, Sicilian, or North African This exceptionally rare medieval textile is stylistically close to silks from the palls of 13th-century tombs excavated from the royal necropolis at Las Huelgas in Burgos. The extensive use of metallic threads creates a reflective quality and gives texture to the animated griffins. At the upper end, a band of repeating palmettes acts as a bridge to a partly lost pseudo-Kufic inscription. The piece is said to have been purchased from a Tibetan monastery, suggesting that it may have been sent eastward as a gift soon after its manufacture.. Silk with Griffins. Central Asian, Sicilian, or North African. first half 13th century. Silk, silver-gilt metal on parchment over cotton. Textiles-Woven