Aba
Circa 1870 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Man's robe, aba, plain weave silk with tapestry-woven metal thread and silk decoration, moiré.Two lengths of fabric seamed side-by-side so that the seam is horizontal when the garment is worn; the seam is covered with a gold cord. The ground is a blue ribbed silk. In the lower half there are fine gold vertical lines from the hem forming a zigzag. In the upper half gold metal thread forms three downward pointing triangles separated by a red, blue and gold band from which fine gold lines extend down. The central triangle is narrower than the other 2 and the solid diagonal sides break into extended gold 'fingers'. At a certain length these half in thickness, becoming fine lines with thicker 'slubs'; each ends with a 'slub' and together then form a point. The edges of the two wider panels break into thicker and thinner 'fingers', their 'slubs' creating an almost solid band. Some lines extend to form a slightly serrated outline and the central ones continue as solid lines down to the horizontal seam. There is a red, blue and gold band to the outer side of the 3 gold panels, each has a single gold line extending from it. There are several isolated gold lines and another red one toward the side of the garment.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | silk thread, metal thread, weaving, tapestry-weaving, moiré, sewing |
Brief description | Textile, Aba or man's robe, blue silk with tapestry-woven gold decoration at the shoulders, Iran (possibly Kashan), Qajar period, 1870-1874 |
Physical description | Man's robe, aba, plain weave silk with tapestry-woven metal thread and silk decoration, moiré.Two lengths of fabric seamed side-by-side so that the seam is horizontal when the garment is worn; the seam is covered with a gold cord. The ground is a blue ribbed silk. In the lower half there are fine gold vertical lines from the hem forming a zigzag. In the upper half gold metal thread forms three downward pointing triangles separated by a red, blue and gold band from which fine gold lines extend down. The central triangle is narrower than the other 2 and the solid diagonal sides break into extended gold 'fingers'. At a certain length these half in thickness, becoming fine lines with thicker 'slubs'; each ends with a 'slub' and together then form a point. The edges of the two wider panels break into thicker and thinner 'fingers', their 'slubs' creating an almost solid band. Some lines extend to form a slightly serrated outline and the central ones continue as solid lines down to the horizontal seam. There is a red, blue and gold band to the outer side of the 3 gold panels, each has a single gold line extending from it. There are several isolated gold lines and another red one toward the side of the garment. |
Dimensions |
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Gallery label |
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Object history | This object was purchased in Tehran in 1874 by Robert Murdoch Smith on behalf of the Museum. Murdoch Smith bought examples of metalwork, textiles and painted wood from a broker (or art dealer), Abdul Hussein Dellal. |
Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 1303-1874 |
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Record created | June 3, 2008 |
Record URL |
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