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Source Description
Silk velvet with rich pile is one of the most opulent and prestigious fabrics, especially when embellished with gold thread. This is one of the earliest known velvets. A 1295 inventory of Pope Boniface VIII includes "a piece of red Tartar velvet with gold discs," which probably refers to this velvet pattern. It is attributed to Iran, possibly in Tabriz where Italian agents resided and could have provided the transfer of silk-velvet technology to Italy. Although the origin of velvet is uncertain, silk velvet with an extra silk pile warp was probably developed in a silk weaving country such as Iran. Inventive Iranian weavers may have developed it during the 1200s or earlier; they are acclaimed for producing the most colorful velvets ever during the 1500s and 1600s.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
98504
label
Velvet with gold discs
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
98504
contentType
object
title
Velvet with gold discs
description
Silk velvet with rich pile is one of the most opulent and prestigious fabrics, especially when embellished with gold thread. This is one of the earliest known velvets. A 1295 inventory of Pope Boniface VIII includes "a piece of red Tartar velvet with gold discs," which probably refers to this velvet pattern. It is attributed to Iran, possibly in Tabriz where Italian agents resided and could have provided the transfer of silk-velvet technology to Italy. Although the origin of velvet is uncertain, silk velvet with an extra silk pile warp was probably developed in a silk weaving country such as Iran. Inventive Iranian weavers may have developed it during the 1200s or earlier; they are acclaimed for producing the most colorful velvets ever during the 1500s and 1600s.
date
late 1200s or earlier
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q79484515
genreSpecific
Velvet
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 30.5 x 20.6 cm (12 x 8 1/8 in.); Mounted: 34.9 x 25.4 cm (13 3/4 x 10 in.)
cul
Iran, probably Tabriz, Ilkhanid period
accession
1918.225
Source extras
tec
silk, gilt-metal thread; brocaded velvet
tombstone
Velvet with gold discs, late 1200s or earlier. Iran, probably Tabriz, Ilkhanid period. Silk, gilt-metal thread; brocaded velvet; overall: 30.5 x 20.6 cm (12 x 8 1/8 in.); mounted: 34.9 x 25.4 cm (13 3/4 x 10 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund, 1918.225
collection
T - Islamic
relatedWorks
id
98591
description
Velvet Fragment in Two Pieces, 1300s. Iran or Iraq, 14th century. Velvet, lancé, silk and Cyprian gold around silk core; overall: 27.9 x 17.8 cm (11 x 7 in.); mounted: 35.6 x 28.3 cm (14 x 11 1/8 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Dudley P. Allen Fund, 1918.30.b
citations
citation
Wardwell, Anne E. "Panni Tartarici: Eastern Islamic Silks Woven with Gold and Silver (13th and 14th Centuries)." In <em>Islamic Art III, </em>95-173. New York: The Islamic Art Foundation, 1989.
page_number
Mentioned: pp. 95-173; Reproduced: Fig. 57, 77
citation
Hoeniger, Cathleen S. “Cloth of Gold and Silver: Simone Martini's Techniques for Representing Luxury Textiles.” <em>Gesta</em> 30 (2): 154–62.
page_number
p. 160
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 and Mentioned: P. 228, fig. 6.13
creditline
Dudley P. Allen Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 05:18:57.950000
sourceId
98504
dept
Textiles
coll
T - Islamic
med
silk, gilt-metal thread; brocaded velvet
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
890460e952149cbc