Not currently on display at the V&A

Prayer Mat

1800-1860 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Silk satin embroidered with silk in split, running, chain and straight stitches, quilted, backed with woven silk and faced with woven silk.
Light blue ground, pieced across the lower section with the warp running across the width. This reflects the light in a different way. There is a framing band along the top and down the sides. It has a wide light green meander carrying spiky crimson red blossoms, buds and leaf infills, with small grey [faded purple] buds. This wide band is edged either side, and once along the bottom, by a similar but narrower meander of green stems, crimson lozenge shaped blossom and grey [purple] buds. At the top end this band outlines a square infilled with a tri-stemmed flowering plant including one cream [faded coral pink] blossom. The central panel has a lobed arch at one end delineated in crimson and light green. The infill, as with the bands and squares, is decorated with a quilted pattern of irregular lozenges and rhomboids using yellow silk. It is further decorated with offset isolated green stems with red, grey [purple] and faded pink blossoms. Near the apex of the arch is an embroidered roundel with an embroidered inscription in red on an embroidered green ground. In the spandrels there is a broken lattice in red and green with touches of white and yellow; in the centre of each small lozenge is a small flowering stem in red or grey [faded purple]. The embroidery is worked through a layer of cotton.
Embroidery Thread: light green, red, faded purple, faded pink, yellow, green, white silk; 2Z
Backing: pieced and patched; plain weave red silk [and cotton?].
Facing: bias-cut, woven silk; narrow white, purple and light green stripes with small lozenges outlined in white.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
cotton yarn, silk thread, weaving, embroidering, resist and block printing, sewing, quilting
Brief description
embroidered & quilted, 1800-1860, Persian
Physical description
Silk satin embroidered with silk in split, running, chain and straight stitches, quilted, backed with woven silk and faced with woven silk.
Light blue ground, pieced across the lower section with the warp running across the width. This reflects the light in a different way. There is a framing band along the top and down the sides. It has a wide light green meander carrying spiky crimson red blossoms, buds and leaf infills, with small grey [faded purple] buds. This wide band is edged either side, and once along the bottom, by a similar but narrower meander of green stems, crimson lozenge shaped blossom and grey [purple] buds. At the top end this band outlines a square infilled with a tri-stemmed flowering plant including one cream [faded coral pink] blossom. The central panel has a lobed arch at one end delineated in crimson and light green. The infill, as with the bands and squares, is decorated with a quilted pattern of irregular lozenges and rhomboids using yellow silk. It is further decorated with offset isolated green stems with red, grey [purple] and faded pink blossoms. Near the apex of the arch is an embroidered roundel with an embroidered inscription in red on an embroidered green ground. In the spandrels there is a broken lattice in red and green with touches of white and yellow; in the centre of each small lozenge is a small flowering stem in red or grey [faded purple]. The embroidery is worked through a layer of cotton.
Embroidery Thread: light green, red, faded purple, faded pink, yellow, green, white silk; 2Z
Backing: pieced and patched; plain weave red silk [and cotton?].
Facing: bias-cut, woven silk; narrow white, purple and light green stripes with small lozenges outlined in white.
Dimensions
  • Length: 89cm
  • Width: 55.5cm
Marks and inscriptions
(inscription embroidered in the roundel; part of the daily prayer, the salat.)
Translation
Glory be to my exalted Lord and praise belong to Him.
Association
Collection
Accession number
17-1877

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdJune 11, 2008
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest