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Source Description
A luxurious textile like this would have been used for courtly robes or coats in Safavid Iran. The bird-and-flower motif is known as <em>gul-u-bulbul </em>in Persian, meaning “rose and nightingale.” The motif references the poetic image of a nightingale plaintively singing to an indifferent rose as a metaphor for unrequited human love as well as the soul’s desire for mystical union with the divine.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
123491
label
Fragment of Silk Taffeta with “Rose and Nightingale” Motif
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
123491
contentType
object
title
Fragment of Silk Taffeta with “Rose and Nightingale” Motif
description
A luxurious textile like this would have been used for courtly robes or coats in Safavid Iran. The bird-and-flower motif is known as <em>gul-u-bulbul </em>in Persian, meaning “rose and nightingale.” The motif references the poetic image of a nightingale plaintively singing to an indifferent rose as a metaphor for unrequited human love as well as the soul’s desire for mystical union with the divine.
date
1700s
citation
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60756657
genreSpecific
Textile
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 38.1 x 40.6 cm (15 x 16 in.); Mounted: 48.3 x 50.8 cm (19 x 20 in.)
cul
Iran, Safavid period (1501–1722)
accession
1943.91
Source extras
tec
Silk and metallic thread: taffeta, brocaded
tombstone
Fragment of Silk Taffeta with “Rose and Nightingale” Motif, 1700s. Iran, Safavid period (1501–1722). Silk and metallic thread: taffeta, brocaded; overall: 38.1 x 40.6 cm (15 x 16 in.); mounted: 48.3 x 50.8 cm (19 x 20 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mrs. Fred R. White, 1943.91
collection
T - Islamic
creditline
Gift of Mrs. Fred R. White
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:21:11.906000
sourceId
123491
dept
Textiles
coll
T - Islamic
med
Silk and metallic thread: taffeta, brocaded
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
53222bd6a1cb95ae