Velvet with Pattern of Butterflies and Flowers

18th century

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 462

In the textiles of the later Safavid period, we see the addition of butterflies to the design repertoire. This sumptuous velvet features the repeating design of two butterflies hovering over the leaves of a strawberry plant, each bearing fruit and six blossoms. The field of the design utilizes metal-wrapped threads that, though now dulled, would have originally created a glittering backdrop for the plant and butterfly motifs.

Artwork Details

Overview

Provenance

References

Title: Velvet with Pattern of Butterflies and Flowers
Date: 18th century
Geography: Attributed to Iran
Medium: Silk, metal wrapped thread; cut and voided velvet
Dimensions: Textile: L. 55 1/4 in. (140.3 cm)
W. 13 3/4 in. (34.9 cm)
Mount: H. 61 1/2 in. (156.2 cm)
W. 19 1/2 in. (49.5 cm)
Classification: Textiles-Woven
Credit Line: Theodore M. Davis Collection, Bequest of Theodore M. Davis, 1915
Object Number: 30.95.140
Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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Velvet Panel with Flowering Plants, Silk, cotton, flat metal wrapped thread; cut and voided velvet, brocaded — Velvet Panel with Flowering Plants
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A Young Man Attending to a Falcon, Silk, metal wrapped thread, and continuous floats of flat metal thread; cut and voided velvet, bouclé — A Young Man Attending to a Falcon
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