White and Polychrome Brocaded Damask

In a fine example of brocaded damask, talented weavers set polychrome motifs inspired by Persian designs- vases of stylized carnations, and pairs of birds- within a cream-colored ground whose elegant design is subtly articulated by the mat and glossy surfaces of the damask. The current assemblage, probably created by dealers in the early twentieth century to make a more saleable object, neatly combines as many as ten patches, their seams cleverly disguised. The current object has been made to resemble the reverse of a Christian priest's tabard-like chasuble garment, although details of the shaping, especially at the 'shoulders', and its narrow size reveal that this would never actually have functioned as such. Other examples of this textile's distinctive white and polychrome design survive in The Met's collection (46.156.143) and in European collections, in Paris (Musée des Arts Décoratifs) and San Gimignano (Museo d'Arte Sacra).