Panel from a Mantle or Apron

early 17th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 463

A distinctive group of Bengal embroideries made between the mid-sixteenth and mid-seventeenth century are embroidered with the yellowish white silk known as tasar, one of several types of the wild (i.e., uncultivated) silk that was abundant in eastern India. They incorporate highly imaginative imagery including sea creatures, mermaids, scenes from the Bible, European figures, animals, and hunters drawn from a mixture of European engravings and local traditions. Several examples include Portuguese coats of arms and must have been made for the Portuguese traders who had settled on the western coast of India, but these embroideries were also prized in England.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

Title: Panel from a Mantle or Apron
Date: early 17th century
Geography: Attributed to India, Bengal, Satgaon-Hugly
Medium: Cotton, tasar silk; plain weave, embroidered
Dimensions: Textile a: H. 46 3/4 in. (118.7 cm)
W. 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm)
Textile b: H. 45 in. (114.3 cm)
W. 14 1/4 in. (36.2 cm)
Textile c-e: H. 46 in. (116.8 cm)
W. 15 1/4 in. (38.7 cm)

Mount (Textile b:) H. 48 ½ in (123.2 cm)
W. 18 in. (45.7 cm)
D. 2 ¼ in. (5.7 cm)
Classification: Textiles-Embroidered
Credit Line: Rogers Fund, 1908
Object Number: 08.108.4a–e
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

More Artwork

In the same gallery

From the same time and place

A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.

Cope, Cotton; embroidered in tasar or muga silk — Cope
early 17th century

Garden Gathering, Stonepaste; painted and polychrome glazed (cuerda seca technique) — Garden Gathering
1640–50

Panel of a Tent Lining, Cotton; plain weave, mordant painted and dyed, resist dyed — Panel of a Tent Lining
1700–1740

Panel from a Tent Lining (Qanat), Cotton; plain weave, mordant dyed and painted, resist-dyed — Panel from a Tent Lining (Qanat)
17th century

Velvet Panel with Flowering Plants, Silk, cotton, flat metal wrapped thread; cut and voided velvet, brocaded — Velvet Panel with Flowering Plants
first half 17th century

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.