Bed curtain border
This object is from the collection of Natalia de Shabelsky (1841-1905), a Russian noblewoman compelled to preserve what she perceived as the vanishing folk art traditions of her native country. Traveling extensively throughout Great Russia, she collected many fine examples of textile art of the wealthy peasant class. From the 1870s until moving to France in 1902, Shabelsky amassed a large collection of intricately embroidered hand-woven household textiles and opulent festival garments with rich decoration and elaborate motifs. The Brooklyn Museum holdings include many fine examples including the majority of the garments. Portions of Shabelsky's collection are also housed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Cleveland Art Museum, and the Russian Museum of Ethnography in St. Petersburg.
In Russian culture the Sirin, Alkonost, and Gamayun are mythical birds with the head and often breast of women. The Sirin, based on the Siren of Greek mythology, sings songs of the heavens, but leads mortal men to their death. The siren is often a metaphor for temptation of the weak. The Alkonost and Gamayun are not considered evil as the Sirin. They deliver prophecies to mortals and represent God's will in religious belief. The tree of life motif in this piece is an excellent example of how the tree of life and goddess merged into one form. In this example the motif could be viewed as both the goddess in the birth position and as a flowering plant with symmetrical branches.
In Russian culture the Sirin, Alkonost, and Gamayun are mythical birds with the head and often breast of women. The Sirin, based on the Siren of Greek mythology, sings songs of the heavens, but leads mortal men to their death. The siren is often a metaphor for temptation of the weak. The Alkonost and Gamayun are not considered evil as the Sirin. They deliver prophecies to mortals and represent God's will in religious belief. The tree of life motif in this piece is an excellent example of how the tree of life and goddess merged into one form. In this example the motif could be viewed as both the goddess in the birth position and as a flowering plant with symmetrical branches.
Artwork Details
- Title: Bed curtain border
- Date: early 19th century
- Culture: Russian
- Medium: Linen, silk, metal
- Dimensions: 70 in. (177.8 cm)
- Classification: Textiles-Laces
- Credit Line: Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Mrs. Edward S. Harkness in memory of her mother, Elizabeth Greenman Stillman, 1931
- Object Number: 2009.300.3436
- Curatorial Department: European Sculpture and Decorative Arts
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
On loan to The Met
Multiple artists/makers
1890
On loan to The Met
House of Carl Fabergé
August Wilhelm Holmström
1896
On loan to The Met
House of Carl Fabergé
Mikhail Evlampievich Perkhin
before 1899
On loan to The Met
Multiple artists/makers
1893
On loan to The Met
Multiple artists/makers
before 1899
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.