Fragment of a lampas-woven silk textile
Iran or Turkey; end of 15th-16th century
H: 56; W: 29 cm
Inventory number 42/1999
Miniatures from the Timurid and Turkmen period are populated by figures in colorful, patterned textiles, virtually none of which have been preserved today.
This fragment was woven in the contrasting colors preferred by the Timurids, and the pattern includes many of the shapes that are also found in the decorative art of the period: large lotus-like flowers set in a network of red, split-leaf palmettes that resemble birds. After the Timurids, this ornamentation and palette lived on in early Ottoman art, and a carbon-14 analysis indicated that the textile may have been woven in the 16th century.
The scalloped upper section suggests that the fragment comes from a garment’s collar or shoulder.
This fragment was woven in the contrasting colors preferred by the Timurids, and the pattern includes many of the shapes that are also found in the decorative art of the period: large lotus-like flowers set in a network of red, split-leaf palmettes that resemble birds. After the Timurids, this ornamentation and palette lived on in early Ottoman art, and a carbon-14 analysis indicated that the textile may have been woven in the 16th century.
The scalloped upper section suggests that the fragment comes from a garment’s collar or shoulder.
Textiles, Carpets and Leather
