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Source Description
Elaborate arched panels with multiple borders similar to this textile formed the mosaic-like interior walls of imperial tents. Here, the field is dominated by a richly decorated cypress tree above peacocks and dragon heads on an ornate foliate ground. We look upon the gardenscape through a niche (mihrab) formed by this foliage. Bright white silk “pearl” outlines, vines, and ringlets in chain-stitch embroidery enliven the pattern on contrasting colors of fulled wool. Internationally fashionable <em>botehs</em>, or paisleys, decorate the outer red borders.This technique has been referred to by many different names including: Rasht work, Resht work, Rashti-duzi, Rachti-douzi, embroidery applique, mosaic embroidery, piecework, patchwork, embroidery brocade, and inlaid patchwork. Many of these terms are to various degrees inaccurate descriptions of this technique. Perhaps the most practical term is Rasht work, named for the town in Iran where the technique was popularized. It begins as a ground of felted plain weave wool. Desired shapes are then punched out of the ground with a metal die and hammer. The same is done with wool of an alternating color. The edges of the different cut pieces are then embroidered together into various designs using a silk chain stitch (<em>golab-duzi</em>). Although this piecework technique was recorded in Iran in the 1670s, most examples survive from the 19th century, when foreigners praised them as “really [the] most beautiful embroidery.” The technique appears in furnishing fabrics, and horse covers, as well as imperial portraits, including one depicting the Qajar monarch Fath ‘Ali Shah, who ruled in 1797–1837. Sometime after leaving the workshop this panel experienced moth damage; small patches can be seen throughout.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
95575
label
Tent Wall Panel(?)
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
95575
contentType
object
title
Tent Wall Panel(?)
description
Elaborate arched panels with multiple borders similar to this textile formed the mosaic-like interior walls of imperial tents. Here, the field is dominated by a richly decorated cypress tree above peacocks and dragon heads on an ornate foliate ground. We look upon the gardenscape through a niche (mihrab) formed by this foliage. Bright white silk “pearl” outlines, vines, and ringlets in chain-stitch embroidery enliven the pattern on contrasting colors of fulled wool. Internationally fashionable <em>botehs</em>, or paisleys, decorate the outer red borders.This technique has been referred to by many different names including: Rasht work, Resht work, Rashti-duzi, Rachti-douzi, embroidery applique, mosaic embroidery, piecework, patchwork, embroidery brocade, and inlaid patchwork. Many of these terms are to various degrees inaccurate descriptions of this technique. Perhaps the most practical term is Rasht work, named for the town in Iran where the technique was popularized. It begins as a ground of felted plain weave wool. Desired shapes are then punched out of the ground with a metal die and hammer. The same is done with wool of an alternating color. The edges of the different cut pieces are then embroidered together into various designs using a silk chain stitch (<em>golab-duzi</em>). Although this piecework technique was recorded in Iran in the 1670s, most examples survive from the 19th century, when foreigners praised them as “really [the] most beautiful embroidery.” The technique appears in furnishing fabrics, and horse covers, as well as imperial portraits, including one depicting the Qajar monarch Fath ‘Ali Shah, who ruled in 1797–1837. Sometime after leaving the workshop this panel experienced moth damage; small patches can be seen throughout.
date
1800s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79477318
genreSpecific
Embroidery
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 194.9 x 132.7 cm (76 3/4 x 52 1/4 in.)
cul
Iran, Rasht, Qajar period (1779-1925)
accession
1916.1297
Source extras
tec
Wool: inlaid work; silk: embroidery, chain stitch
tombstone
Tent Wall Panel(?), 1800s. Iran, Rasht, Qajar period (1779-1925). Wool: inlaid work; silk: embroidery, chain stitch; overall: 194.9 x 132.7 cm (76 3/4 x 52 1/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade, 1916.1297
collection
T - Islamic
didYouKnow
Generally, Rasht work was made by men. Boys handled the delicate embroidering while older men designed cartoons and punched the wool designs.
citations
citation
Gluck, Jay, and Sumi Hiramoto Gluck. <em>A Survey of Persian Handicraft: A Pictorial Introduction to the Contemporary Folk Arts and Art Crafts of Modern Iran. </em>Tehran: Published under the auspices of the Bank Melli Iran [by] Survey of Persian Art, 1977.
citation
Nashat, Guity. "From Bazaar to Market: Foreign Trade and Economic Development in Nineteenth-Century Iran," <em>Iranian Studies</em> 14, no.1/2 (1981); 53-85.
citation
Wearden, Jennifer Mary, and Patricia L. Baker.<em> Iranian Textiles.</em> London: V & A Pub, 2010.
citation
"The Shah's Tent." <em>HALI; the international journal of Oriental carpets and textiles</em> 185 (Autumn 2015): 94-95.
creditline
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:08:00.134000
sourceId
95575
dept
Textiles
coll
T - Islamic
med
Wool: inlaid work; silk: embroidery, chain stitch
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
f771d9be05f72d4f