Brocade, 17th century; Safavid
Iran
Silk and metal thread
Technical Glossary
Iran
Silk and metal thread
27 1/2 x 28 in. (69.9 x 71.1 cm)
Gift of the Hajji Baba Club, in recognition of Dr. Maurice Dimand's long and distinguished service in the field of Islamic Art at the Metropolitan Museum, 1959 (59.58)
Raw silk as well as silk velvets and brocades were major exports to Europe from the Safavid empire, but as contemporary paintings show, rich brocades were equally popular for clothing among the aristocrats of Iran itself. This fragment has a dark red ground with rows of stylized flowers in shades of green, blue, white, tan, and pink arranged in strict rows.
