1927.279: Epigraphic Textile
Textile Arts
This object does not yet have a description.
Identification and Creation
- Object Number
- 1927.279
- Title
- Epigraphic Textile
- Classification
- Textile Arts
- Work Type
- textile
- Date
- 1710-1711
- Places
- Creation Place: Middle East, Iran
- Persistent Link
- https://hvrd.art/o/215174
Physical Descriptions
- Medium
- Silk, woven with complementary wefts, inner warps, and binding warps in plain weave (taqueté)
Acquisition and Rights
- Credit Line
- Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Charles Bain Hoyt
- Accession Year
- 1927
- Object Number
- 1927.279
- Division
- Asian and Mediterranean Art
- Contact
- am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu
- Permissions
-
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Descriptions
- Description
-
The design of this textile consists of a repeating, mirrored inscription in cartouches separated by quatrefoil motifs. The inscription gives a date of 1122 H or 1710/1711 and reads, “Ya Imam Husayn Shahid” (Oh Imam Husayn, the martyr). It refers to the grandson of Muhammad and the third Shia imam, Husayn (d. 680). The inscription identifies him as “shahid” or martyr, alluding to his death at the Battle of Karbala, an event memorialized by Twelver Shia Muslims during the Safavid period. This fragment was likely once part of a much larger textile. Today, it appears bichromatic with primarily red and light brown wefts, but surviving green threads at its edges suggest it was originally more colorful.
Verification Level
This record was created from historic documentation and may not have been reviewed by a curator; it may be inaccurate or incomplete. Our records are frequently revised and enhanced. For more information please contact the Division of Asian and Mediterranean Art at am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu