Not currently on display at the V&A

Cover

1876 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Resht work, plain weave felted wool, patchwork, inlaid work, embroidered with silk in a variety of stitches, predominantly chain stitch.
Very light brown ground with an undecorated border about 4 cm wide on all sides. The decorative centre is delineated by a line of adjoining white circles. There are two vertical lines of lobed compartments, each 22 cm wide; there are four compartments per line and they are linked vertically by a narrow white and blue oval line. The floral decoration within each compartment is dominated by a pair of green horizontal scrolling frames and by dark red stems and a pair of vertical green V-shapes. The spaces between these compartments, a central vertical line and a half line down both sides, are filled with floral motifs on dark red stems. Vertical dark red stems echo the V-shapes previously mentioned and green scrolling lines edged with white circles echo elements from the compartments. There is a seam across the lower edge 5.5 cm from the bottom. The embroidery was worked over it.

Embroidery threads: 2S silk; very dark red, red, dark pink, pink, dark yellow, yellow, purple, blue, light blue, white, black, dark orange.
Inset wool: red, orange, dark blue, purple, dark pink, turquoise, white, dark green.
Some black under drawing or printing is visible.



Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Woollen yarn, silk thread, metal thread, weaving, embroidering, patchwork, sewing
Brief description
Cover, felted wool, Rasht, Iran, Qajar period, 1876
Physical description
Resht work, plain weave felted wool, patchwork, inlaid work, embroidered with silk in a variety of stitches, predominantly chain stitch.
Very light brown ground with an undecorated border about 4 cm wide on all sides. The decorative centre is delineated by a line of adjoining white circles. There are two vertical lines of lobed compartments, each 22 cm wide; there are four compartments per line and they are linked vertically by a narrow white and blue oval line. The floral decoration within each compartment is dominated by a pair of green horizontal scrolling frames and by dark red stems and a pair of vertical green V-shapes. The spaces between these compartments, a central vertical line and a half line down both sides, are filled with floral motifs on dark red stems. Vertical dark red stems echo the V-shapes previously mentioned and green scrolling lines edged with white circles echo elements from the compartments. There is a seam across the lower edge 5.5 cm from the bottom. The embroidery was worked over it.

Embroidery threads: 2S silk; very dark red, red, dark pink, pink, dark yellow, yellow, purple, blue, light blue, white, black, dark orange.
Inset wool: red, orange, dark blue, purple, dark pink, turquoise, white, dark green.
Some black under drawing or printing is visible.

Dimensions
  • Maximum length: 77cm
  • Width: 551mm
Style
Credit line
Given by His Majesty Nasir al-Din Shah
Object history
In 1877, Nasruddin Shah, the Qajar ruler of Iran, approved a donation of contemporary textiles and carpets to the South Kensington Museum. Organised via Robert Murdoch Smith and Qajar minister Emin al-Mulk, the donation consisted of 14 carpets and 60 other examples of textiles, and was directly intended to advertise Iran's textile industry to British consumers. The accompanying letter to the Museum's Lords of Committee outlined the strategy: "We have no doubt whatever that the English Nation has always viewed our manufactures in a kind and friendly manner; and although the Persian Arts have not attained a high rank, nevertheless they have been viewed with a friendly eye and examined in a partial spirit. Such being the case, H.I.M. the Shah resolved that a small quantity of the produce of this country - manufactures by Persian workmen of the present day - should be presented to the said Museum."
Bibliographic references
  • Jennider Wearden and Patricia L. Baker, Iranian Textiles (London: V&A Publishing, 2010): Plate 78.
  • Moya Carey, Persian Art. Collecting the Arts of Iran for the V&A, London, 2017, p.130.
Collection
Accession number
850-1877

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Record createdFebruary 26, 2008
Record URL
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