Prayer Mat
1800-1870 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Prayer mat of woven silk and cotton, backed with roller-printed cotton and faced with woven wool.
This is woven in one piece and there are no seams. The design is in two sections: [1] the main piece is blue and white cotton surrounded by a yellow silk and blue cotton border; [2] the upper panel of inscriptions is woven in silk. The warp throughout the piece is pale yellow silk.
The main panel has a white cotton ground with offset rows of a small stepped lozenge in blue with white centre. This pattern is broken in the middle of the upper part by straight lines forming an angular niche. The white ground contains the border pattern in blue. The vertical lines are angled at the bottom inner edge and 2 extra rosettes at the inner top create a pointed arch. The inscriptions are woven with silk. A double line of yellow on a blue ground forms a border around 4 lines of white on red. There is an upper line with a white ground and nine and a half red cartouches with white lettering.
The yellow border has a yellow ground with a blue rosette alternating with a blue carnation linked to a pair of split leaves in the side borders, the leaves forming an undulating meander, but this is not as clear in the upper and lower borders. The blue carnation in the side borders is enclosed within an outline, but this is not so in the upper and lower borders.
Backing: pieced; brown ground printed with small white twigs with small berries and tiny white scattered dots.
Facing: bias cut striped wool: white stripe with small stylized botehs in black and pink and dark red; red stripe with small stylized botehs in dark green, dark blue, white, orange and blue.
This is woven in one piece and there are no seams. The design is in two sections: [1] the main piece is blue and white cotton surrounded by a yellow silk and blue cotton border; [2] the upper panel of inscriptions is woven in silk. The warp throughout the piece is pale yellow silk.
The main panel has a white cotton ground with offset rows of a small stepped lozenge in blue with white centre. This pattern is broken in the middle of the upper part by straight lines forming an angular niche. The white ground contains the border pattern in blue. The vertical lines are angled at the bottom inner edge and 2 extra rosettes at the inner top create a pointed arch. The inscriptions are woven with silk. A double line of yellow on a blue ground forms a border around 4 lines of white on red. There is an upper line with a white ground and nine and a half red cartouches with white lettering.
The yellow border has a yellow ground with a blue rosette alternating with a blue carnation linked to a pair of split leaves in the side borders, the leaves forming an undulating meander, but this is not as clear in the upper and lower borders. The blue carnation in the side borders is enclosed within an outline, but this is not so in the upper and lower borders.
Backing: pieced; brown ground printed with small white twigs with small berries and tiny white scattered dots.
Facing: bias cut striped wool: white stripe with small stylized botehs in black and pink and dark red; red stripe with small stylized botehs in dark green, dark blue, white, orange and blue.
Object details
Category | |
Object type | |
Materials and techniques | cotton yarn, woollen yarn, silk thread, weaving, printing, sewing |
Brief description | woven cotton, 1800s, Persian; Inscription |
Physical description | Prayer mat of woven silk and cotton, backed with roller-printed cotton and faced with woven wool. This is woven in one piece and there are no seams. The design is in two sections: [1] the main piece is blue and white cotton surrounded by a yellow silk and blue cotton border; [2] the upper panel of inscriptions is woven in silk. The warp throughout the piece is pale yellow silk. The main panel has a white cotton ground with offset rows of a small stepped lozenge in blue with white centre. This pattern is broken in the middle of the upper part by straight lines forming an angular niche. The white ground contains the border pattern in blue. The vertical lines are angled at the bottom inner edge and 2 extra rosettes at the inner top create a pointed arch. The inscriptions are woven with silk. A double line of yellow on a blue ground forms a border around 4 lines of white on red. There is an upper line with a white ground and nine and a half red cartouches with white lettering. The yellow border has a yellow ground with a blue rosette alternating with a blue carnation linked to a pair of split leaves in the side borders, the leaves forming an undulating meander, but this is not as clear in the upper and lower borders. The blue carnation in the side borders is enclosed within an outline, but this is not so in the upper and lower borders. Backing: pieced; brown ground printed with small white twigs with small berries and tiny white scattered dots. Facing: bias cut striped wool: white stripe with small stylized botehs in black and pink and dark red; red stripe with small stylized botehs in dark green, dark blue, white, orange and blue. |
Dimensions |
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Marks and inscriptions |
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Bibliographic references |
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Collection | |
Accession number | 1069-1900 |
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Record created | October 8, 2008 |
Record URL |
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