Blouse
1800-1830 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Woven silk and woven silk brocaded with silk and metal thread faced with printed cotton and with woven silk, with an added border of woven silk and metal thread and trimmed with silk and metal thread cord.
Panel of purple silk [purple warp and red weft] forms the centre back, goes over the shoulders [no seams] and ends just below the collar bone. The same silk is used for almost triangular panels down either side at the back, a narrow rectangular panel going over the shoulders and one panel per long, wide sleeve. There is a triangular gusset under the arm made from printed cotton and the same fabric is used as a narrow facing for the side slits. This gusset has a red ground with boteh within leaves and flowerheads in green, yellow and light blue. The neck is faced with a narrow piece of red and green checked silk. The centre front panel is brocaded with silk and metal thread. Small pieces of the same fabric have been used to add width and flare at the sides [badly pieced and the pattern is badly disrupted]. This fabric is purple satin with three offset rows of a tall, stylized floral sprig: pair of indented leaves, pair of solid leaves, central carnation with white and pink petals with 2 buds, pair of pink and green diagonal carnations topped by a large carnation with either pink or white petals. Three small gold leaves form a motif which is scattered across the ground. The metal thread is silver strip open S-wound on a yellow silk core.
There is a woven band with an inscription across the top of this panel: the lettering is in a white cartouche, two are the correct way round and two are reversed.
There is an added silk border across the front bottom. This is not bias-cut and has one selvedge and one rolled edge: yellow ground with a thin dark meander linking a blue flower and a diagonal red one, with a green peacock.
The blouse fastens at the neck with a black cord loop on the left and a solid button with part of a silver metal thread outer layer on the right. The neck is small and round with a long slit. There is black silk cord around the neck and black and silver thread braid around the slit.
Panel of purple silk [purple warp and red weft] forms the centre back, goes over the shoulders [no seams] and ends just below the collar bone. The same silk is used for almost triangular panels down either side at the back, a narrow rectangular panel going over the shoulders and one panel per long, wide sleeve. There is a triangular gusset under the arm made from printed cotton and the same fabric is used as a narrow facing for the side slits. This gusset has a red ground with boteh within leaves and flowerheads in green, yellow and light blue. The neck is faced with a narrow piece of red and green checked silk. The centre front panel is brocaded with silk and metal thread. Small pieces of the same fabric have been used to add width and flare at the sides [badly pieced and the pattern is badly disrupted]. This fabric is purple satin with three offset rows of a tall, stylized floral sprig: pair of indented leaves, pair of solid leaves, central carnation with white and pink petals with 2 buds, pair of pink and green diagonal carnations topped by a large carnation with either pink or white petals. Three small gold leaves form a motif which is scattered across the ground. The metal thread is silver strip open S-wound on a yellow silk core.
There is a woven band with an inscription across the top of this panel: the lettering is in a white cartouche, two are the correct way round and two are reversed.
There is an added silk border across the front bottom. This is not bias-cut and has one selvedge and one rolled edge: yellow ground with a thin dark meander linking a blue flower and a diagonal red one, with a green peacock.
The blouse fastens at the neck with a black cord loop on the left and a solid button with part of a silver metal thread outer layer on the right. The neck is small and round with a long slit. There is black silk cord around the neck and black and silver thread braid around the slit.
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | cotton yarn, silk thread, metal thread, weaving, printing, sewing |
| Brief description | A blouse with silk and metal threads, Iran, first half 19th century |
| Physical description | Woven silk and woven silk brocaded with silk and metal thread faced with printed cotton and with woven silk, with an added border of woven silk and metal thread and trimmed with silk and metal thread cord. Panel of purple silk [purple warp and red weft] forms the centre back, goes over the shoulders [no seams] and ends just below the collar bone. The same silk is used for almost triangular panels down either side at the back, a narrow rectangular panel going over the shoulders and one panel per long, wide sleeve. There is a triangular gusset under the arm made from printed cotton and the same fabric is used as a narrow facing for the side slits. This gusset has a red ground with boteh within leaves and flowerheads in green, yellow and light blue. The neck is faced with a narrow piece of red and green checked silk. The centre front panel is brocaded with silk and metal thread. Small pieces of the same fabric have been used to add width and flare at the sides [badly pieced and the pattern is badly disrupted]. This fabric is purple satin with three offset rows of a tall, stylized floral sprig: pair of indented leaves, pair of solid leaves, central carnation with white and pink petals with 2 buds, pair of pink and green diagonal carnations topped by a large carnation with either pink or white petals. Three small gold leaves form a motif which is scattered across the ground. The metal thread is silver strip open S-wound on a yellow silk core. There is a woven band with an inscription across the top of this panel: the lettering is in a white cartouche, two are the correct way round and two are reversed. There is an added silk border across the front bottom. This is not bias-cut and has one selvedge and one rolled edge: yellow ground with a thin dark meander linking a blue flower and a diagonal red one, with a green peacock. The blouse fastens at the neck with a black cord loop on the left and a solid button with part of a silver metal thread outer layer on the right. The neck is small and round with a long slit. There is black silk cord around the neck and black and silver thread braid around the slit. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Marks and inscriptions | (loom end band with woven inscription: 'Ne'mat Ullah' (God's blessing), presumably the weaver's name, in a repeat of alternatly correct and reverse versions. The band appears across the 'chest' of the blouse and is interrupted by the neck opening.) |
| Production | printed cotton is from Russia. |
| Bibliographic reference | Baker, Patricia, L. Islamic Textiles, London: British Museum Press, 1995. 192p., ill. ISBN 0-7141-2522-9. Fig p. 128.
Illustrated in 'Iranian Textiles' by Jennifer Wearden and Patricia L Baker, V&A Publishing 2010, fig.8 page 22. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.333-1920 |
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
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | December 17, 2003 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
