Harvard Art Museums > 1978.513: Velvet Fragment with Floral Design Textile Arts Collections Search Exit Deep Zoom Mode Zoom Out Zoom In Reset Zoom Full Screen Add to Collection Order Image Copy Link Copy Citation Citation"Velvet Fragment with Floral Design , 1978.513,” Harvard Art Museums collections online, Nov 22, 2024, https://hvrd.art/o/216140. Reuse via IIIF Toggle Deep Zoom Mode Download This object does not yet have a description. Identification and Creation Object Number 1978.513 Title Velvet Fragment with Floral Design Classification Textile Arts Work Type textile Date 17th century Places Creation Place: Middle East, Iran Period Safavid period Culture Persian Persistent Link https://hvrd.art/o/216140 Physical Descriptions Medium cut and voided silk velvet with metal thread Dimensions 104.5 x 69 cm (41 1/8 x 27 3/16 in.) Acquisition and Rights Credit Line Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Fund for the Acquisition of Islamic Art Accession Year 1978 Object Number 1978.513 Division Asian and Mediterranean Art Contact am_asianmediterranean@harvard.edu Permissions The Harvard Art Museums encourage the use of images found on this website for personal, noncommercial use, including educational and scholarly purposes. To request a higher resolution file of this image, please submit an online request. Descriptions Description An array of flowers and leaves grow from a single stem planted at the edge of a pond represented by cloud-like waves. These flowers repeat in horizontal rows, but the lively design creates the sense of a continuous and dynamic composition. The ponds were once woven from metal threads wrapped around a white silk core that would have created a striking, glimmering effect. The individual botanical motifs were originally dyed with brighter colors that have now largely faded. These designs stand out because they are outlined in a darker color and since they are created from the silk pile of this luxurious velvet. Their surrounding areas are void of pile–creating an even greater contrast and emphasis on the animated, repeating pattern. Publication History Fogg Exhibit Explores Rich Tradition of Islamic Art, Harvard Gazette (July 25, 1980), p. 4, p. 4 Exhibition History Birds, Beasts and Calligraphies, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 06/11/1981 - 09/29/1981 The Heavenly Court: Persian Poetry and Painting, Harvard University Art Museums, Fogg Art Museum, Cambridge, 02/09/1985 - 03/31/1985 Islamic Art: The Power of Pattern, Harvard University Art Museums, Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, 09/23/1989 - 01/17/1990 Woven, Hammered, and Thrown: Textiles and Objects from the Islamic World, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 06/22/1991 - 08/18/1991 Earthly Paradise: Gardens in Islamic Art, Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 05/08/1993 - 08/22/1993 Pattern and Purpose. Decorative Arts of Islam., Harvard University Art Museums, Cambridge, 02/19/1994 - 07/03/1994 From Rhubarb to Rubies: European Travelers to Safavid Iran, 1550-1700, Houghton Library, Cambridge, 05/08/2008 - 08/20/2008 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
