Description
Rarely are four fabric widths preserved together from any culture. This gilt-metal thread pattern combines Turkish and Italian features: the large ogival (curved) lattice clasped by crowns and the velvet structure are Turkish, and the two so-called artichoke designs are enlarged adaptations of Italian motifs. A symbol of wealth and power, this velvet panel was woven during the artistic height of the Ottoman Empire in the late 1500s. It may have covered a divan (sofa) or possibly enhanced a wall during cold winters in the imperial Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.
Provenance
Bacri Freres, Paris, France; (Rossini at Drouot-Richelieu, Paris, France, sold to Francesca Galloway, London). (October 9, 2002); (Francesca Galloway, Ltd., London, England, sold to the Cleveland Museum of Art) (2002–2003); The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (2003–)
Accession Number
2003.3
Medium
Silk: velvet, brocaded; gilt-metal thread and cotton
Dimensions
Overall: 173 x 241.5 cm (68 1/8 x 95 1/16 in.); Mounted: 175.3 x 245.7 x 8.9 cm (69 x 96 3/4 x 3 1/2 in.)
Classification
Velvet
Credit Line
Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund
