The exhibition shows Near Eastern and Central Asian textiles from the collection of Lloyd Cotsen, who has brought together one of the most important groups of historical textiles in private hands. He collects worldwide and from all cultures, so the choice presented here only gives a glimpse of the collection's range. As it is mainly made up of small pieces, often in a fragmentary condition, he has named it Textile Traces Collection. The Ashmolean Museum is honoured and pleased to be given the first opportunity to show a wide selection from it.

Geographically the exhibition focuses on Western and Central Asia, the heartland of Islamic culture; chronologically it ranges from pre-Islamic times to the 18th century. The textiles displayed come from Egypt, Iran, and the Mongol empire, as well as Ottoman Turkey. Lloyd Cotsen's collection is given pride of place, but the opportunity is also taken to include a few comparative examples from the Museum's own collection of Islamic textiles, as these are rarely on view.