2015.64: Cover

Identification and Creation

Object Number

2015.64

Title

Cover

Classification

Textile Arts

Work Type

textile

Date

19th century

Places

Creation Place: Middle East, Iran

Persistent Link

https://hvrd.art/o/331563

Physical Descriptions

Medium

Cotton patterned with block printing and wax-resist dyeing; quilted; backed with modern fabric; and edged with machine-made fringe

Dimensions

89 x 124 cm (35 1/16 x 48 13/16 in.)

Provenance

Recorded Ownership History

Mark and Ruth Irwin, Wooster, Ohio (by 1965 - 1998), by descent; to Beth Irwin Lewis, Oberlin, Ohio (1998 - 2015), gift; to the Harvard Art Museums, 2015.

Acquisition and Rights

Credit Line

Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Beth Irwin Lewis in memory of J. Mark and Ruth Irwin

Accession Year

2015

Object Number

2015.64

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

This quilted cover is an example of qalamkari (“pen-work”), a traditional technique of decorating cotton with dyes. The design features a central medallion on a red field patterned with butahs in off-set repeat. The central medallion and quarter medallions in the corners combine birds, blossoms, leaves, and knot patterns. Two wide borders contain running floral scrolls; and multiple guard stripes hold small floral motifs. The design employs the traditional four colors (black, red, blue, and yellow) and has been created by block printing and wax resist.

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