Double Flour Bag

last quarter 19th century

Not on view

The large double flour bags created by Bakhtiari weavers usually feature pile with symmetrical knots at the bottom to protect the bag in areas of extreme wear. Unlike the other Bakhtiari double flour bag on view (MMA 2015.490.8), the ground here is executed in weft-faced plain weave using white cotton, and the patterning is made in sumak extra-weft wrapping with wool threads. The weaver chose to decorate the bag with repeating lozenges and other geometric motifs, as well as stylized human figures and animals.

The closure is composed of a sumak band with slits finished with two-color overcast stitching on the front and braided loops at the back. Similar to the other double flour bag, a band of twining is worked into the plain-weave structure on the back, creating a more durable construction. This band also extends into the three-dimensional loops used for the closure.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

Title: Double Flour Bag
Date: last quarter 19th century
Geography: From Western Iran, Bakhtiari tribe
Medium: Wool (warp, sumak weft, and pile), cotton (ground weft), and goat(?) hair (braided loops); weft-faced plain weave with pattern in sumak extra-weft wrapping (front); symmetrically knotted pile (top and bottom edges); weft-faced plain weave with pattern in sumak extra-weft wrapping and twined and braided loop closures (back)
Dimensions: H. 40 1/2 in. (102.9 cm)
W. 56 in. (142.2 cm)
Classification: Textiles-Woven-Brocade
Credit Line: Gift of Inger G. and William B. Ginsberg, 2015
Object Number: 2015.490.13
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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