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Source Description
This cushion cover is one of the earliest and highest quality examples that has survived. The vibrant pattern displays large crescents inscribed with smaller crescents and elegant rosebuds on a leafy vine. The six-pointed lappet designs across each end identify its function as a cover for a cushion on a divan, the equivalent of a Western sofa. The elegant yet lively quality of the drawing, velvet weave, and dense metal thread indicate that it was made near the height of Ottoman silk textile production in the mid-1500s.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
167541
label
Brocaded velvet cushion cover with crescents
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
167541
contentType
object
title
Brocaded velvet cushion cover with crescents
description
This cushion cover is one of the earliest and highest quality examples that has survived. The vibrant pattern displays large crescents inscribed with smaller crescents and elegant rosebuds on a leafy vine. The six-pointed lappet designs across each end identify its function as a cover for a cushion on a divan, the equivalent of a Western sofa. The elegant yet lively quality of the drawing, velvet weave, and dense metal thread indicate that it was made near the height of Ottoman silk textile production in the mid-1500s.
date
1525–75
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79999522
genreSpecific
Velvet
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 138.4 x 65.4 cm (54 1/2 x 25 3/4 in.); Mounted: 134.6 x 63.5 cm (53 x 25 in.)
cul
Turkey, Istanbul or Bursa
accession
2009.282
Source extras
tec
velvet, brocaded: silk, gilt- and silver-metal thread, and cotton
tombstone
Brocaded velvet cushion cover with crescents, 1525–75. Turkey, Istanbul or Bursa. Velvet, brocaded: silk, gilt- and silver-metal thread, and cotton; overall: 138.4 x 65.4 cm (54 1/2 x 25 3/4 in.); mounted: 134.6 x 63.5 cm (53 x 25 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 2009.282
collection
T - Islamic
didYouKnow
A vertical crease down the center of the textile shows that in the past it was folded for an extended time.
citations
citation
Mackie, Louise W. <em>Symbols of Power: Luxury Textiles from Islamic Lands, 7th-21st Century</em>. Cleveland; New Haven: Cleveland Museum of Art; Yale University Press, 2015.
page_number
Reproduced: Frontspiece, pp. 37, 292–293, fig. 8.12; Mentioned: p. 294
citation
Rustem, Unver. "From Auspicious Ornament to State Symbol: The Crescent Moon in Ottoman Art and Architecture." In <em>The Moon: A Voyage through Time.</em> Christiane Gruber, ed. Toronto, Ontario: Aga Khan Museum, 2019.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 46, fig. 2
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-06-10 19:48:37.543000
sourceId
167541
dept
Textiles
coll
T - Islamic
med
velvet, brocaded: silk, gilt- and silver-metal thread, and cotton
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
ab6d125f3149a793