Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 10

"Tree of Life, " Large Midcentury Tapestry by Ahmed, Early Student, Wissa Wassef

About the Item

Dating from 1976, about 20 years after Ramses Wissa Wassef established his tapestry workshop in the 1950s, this monumental tapestry by Samina Ahmed, one of his early students, is dominated by the famed "Tree of Life" motif, the branches filled with a wide array of exotic birds resplendent in hues of lavender, purple, sky blue and magenta. Ramses was one of the most important artisans to emerge in the Arab world in the 1940s and 50s, and he started by learning weaving and teaching the craft to students. Later he and his wife established a workshop in Harrania, a few miles outside Cairo; his work ultimately influenced the fiber art movement in India as well. This is the most important tapestry from his circle we have seen.
  • Creator:
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 116 in (294.64 cm)Width: 85 in (215.9 cm)Depth: 0.25 in (6.35 mm)
  • Style:
    Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
  • Materials and Techniques:
    Wool,Woven
  • Place of Origin:
  • Period:
  • Date of Manufacture:
    1976
  • Condition:
    Wear consistent with age and use. Minor structural damages. Overall excellent; one small tear along edge on upper right. Could use cleaning.
  • Seller Location:
    Philadelphia, PA
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU865121024182

More From This Seller

View All
Egyptian "Tree of Life" Tapestry, Influenced by the Ramses Wissa Wassef Workshop
By Ramses Wissa Wassef Workshop
Located in Philadelphia, PA
This remarkable weaving, using yarns in shades of pale purple, burnt umber, ruddy brown and deep blue, is a masterpiece of post-war Egyptian artisanry. It depicts a crowd of birds in and around a stylized tree and was influenced by the work of the famed Ramses Wissa Wassef...
Category

Vintage 1950s Egyptian Mid-Century Modern Tapestries

Materials

Wool

"Deer with Tree of Life", Art Deco-Modernist Embroidery in Deep Red and Green
Located in Philadelphia, PA
An important example of Modernist needlework and fabric design, this richly-colored embroidery panel depicts a tree of life, full of birds circling a tree expressed in the fashionabl...
Category

Vintage 1920s American Art Deco Tapestries

Materials

Yarn

"Explorer on the Beach", Large, Vivid Art Deco Tapestry, Gösta Adrian-Nilsson
By Gösta Adrian-Nilsson/ GAN
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Remarkable in size, subject and palette, this large tapestry presents Hanna Ripa's homage to a painting by Gösta Adrian-Nilsson, using a rich variety of vividly hued, appliquéd fabri...
Category

Vintage 1930s Swedish Art Deco Tapestries

Materials

Fabric

"Music, Theatre, Ballet", Large, Rare Art Deco Tapestry in Blue & White, 1944
By Vicke Lindstrand
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Representing Scandinavian Modernism at its best, this large and very rare linen tapestry depicting three of the performing arts -- theatre, music and dance -- was designed by Vicke L...
Category

Vintage 1940s Swedish Art Deco Tapestries

Materials

Linen

"Peace, " Monumental Art Deco Tapestry w/ Goddess of Abundance and Nudes, 1945
By Gaston Alfred Henrich
Located in Philadelphia, PA
A unique and remarkable work of art with great historical importance, this monumental Art Deco tapestry celebrating the end of World War II presents a large scene of nude male and female...
Category

Vintage 1940s French Art Deco Tapestries

Materials

Wool

"Tapestry with Giraffes, " Fabulous, Unique Mid-Century Weaving, North Africa
Located in Philadelphia, PA
Perhaps inspired by the renewal of ancient weaving traditions undertaken by the Ramses Wissa Wassef workshop in Egypt, among others in North Africa, this marvelous Mid-Century tapest...
Category

Vintage 1950s North African Mid-Century Modern Tapestries

Materials

Wool

You May Also Like

Egyptian "Tree of Life" Tapestry, Influenced by the Ramses Wissa Wassef Workshop
By Ramses Wissa Wassef Workshop
Located in Dallas, TX
79065 Vintage Egyptian Tapestry, 03'08 x 05'10. This vintage Egyptian tapestry is a testament to the rich tapestry tradition of the Ramses Wissa Wassef Art Center, located in Harrani...
Category

Mid-20th Century Egyptian Egyptian Tapestries

Materials

Wool

Beautiful Egyptian Wissa Wassef Style Hand Woven Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Discover a charming piece of history with this exquisite vintage Egyptian tapestry. Adorned with a delightful childish design inspired by the...
Category

Mid-20th Century Egyptian Egyptian Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Bobyrug’s Wonderful Vintage Egyptian probably Wissa Wassef Woven Tapestry
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Wonderful extra large Wissa Wassef school Egyptian tapestry with signature of the maker (Saiid Ghadi) with beautiful design of the garden of life, with be...
Category

Mid-20th Century Egyptian Tribal Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Cotton and wool tapestry - Ramses Wissa Wassef School with manufacturer's signat
Located in Madrid, España
Cotton and wool tapestry - Ramses Wissa Wassef School with manufacturer's signature - Egypt - c. 1960
Category

Vintage 1960s Egyptian Tapestries

Materials

Wool, Cotton

Large Medieval Style Tree of Life Floral Aubusson Tapestry Wall Hanging
Located in Nottingham, GB
Large Medieval Style Tree of Life Floral Aubusson Tapestry Wall Hanging From a private collection Free international shipping.
Category

20th Century Tapestries

Materials

Cotton

Antique Navajo Rug Flatwoven Geometric Tree of Life Handwoven Rug Tapestry
Located in New York, NY
Navajo rug flat woven rug tapestry beige Measures: 4' x6' (3'11" x 5'7") 119cm x 170cm Circa 1920 "The woolen rug has a white background color on which are three stylized figures on each side of a center cornstalk. All are surrounded on three sides by a "guardian "figure - one side is the head and the body - the other side are the legs. The rug is a Navajo Yei rug...
Category

Vintage 1940s Persian Navajo North and South American Rugs

Materials

Wool

Recently Viewed

View All