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Source Description

This sturdy silk with extensive silver-metal thread displays a dancer and musicians in varied Iranian and European attire, including curved-brim Portuguese or Dutch hats, that reflect the cosmopolitanism initiated by Shah ‘Abbas (reigned 1587–1629). The figures in this landscape are about the same size and equally spaced with minimal interaction, yet they create movement that disguises the repeat of the design. Although the history of textiles is replete with anonymity, signed silks were woven in Iran around 1600. The name of the presumed designer, Abdallah, appears in cursive script on the tambourines. The rise of signed textiles followed a shift away from royal manuscript patronage, causing artists to sign their work to sell in the marketplace. European influence, a new distinguishing hallmark, was transmitted through engravings by traveling European artists.

Scholar Source Context

Document identity
localId
130408
label
Lampas with dancers and musicians
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
130408
contentType
object
title
Lampas with dancers and musicians
description
This sturdy silk with extensive silver-metal thread displays a dancer and musicians in varied Iranian and European attire, including curved-brim Portuguese or Dutch hats, that reflect the cosmopolitanism initiated by Shah ‘Abbas (reigned 1587–1629). The figures in this landscape are about the same size and equally spaced with minimal interaction, yet they create movement that disguises the repeat of the design. Although the history of textiles is replete with anonymity, signed silks were woven in Iran around 1600. The name of the presumed designer, Abdallah, appears in cursive script on the tambourines. The rise of signed textiles followed a shift away from royal manuscript patronage, causing artists to sign their work to sell in the marketplace. European influence, a new distinguishing hallmark, was transmitted through engravings by traveling European artists.
date
1600–1650
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
wikidata
Q60758201
genreSpecific
Textile
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 87.7 x 52.1 cm (34 1/2 x 20 1/2 in.); Mounted: 94 x 58.4 cm (37 x 23 in.)
cul
Iran, Safavid period (1501–1722)
accession
1953.17
Source extras
tec
silk and silver-metal thread: lampas, brocaded
tombstone
Lampas with dancers and musicians, 1600–1650. Iran, Safavid period (1501–1722). Silk and silver-metal thread: lampas, brocaded; overall: 87.7 x 52.1 cm (34 1/2 x 20 1/2 in.); mounted: 94 x 58.4 cm (37 x 23 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund, 1953.17
collection
T - Islamic
inscriptions
inscription
on the tambourine of one of the musicians is inscribed: "Abdallah."
citations
citation
Ausstellung von Meisterwerken muhammedanischer Kunst, 1910 (MUNICH), Max van BERCHEM, Moriz DREGER, Ernst KUEHNEL, Camillo LIST, Fredrik Robert MARTIN, Friedrich SARRE, and Severin SCHROEDER. Die Ausstellung Von Meisterwerken Muhammedanischer Kunst in München, 1910. Herausgegeben Von F. Sarre Und F.R. Martin Unter Mitwirkung Von M. Van Berchem, M. Dreger, E. Kühnel, C. List Und S. Schröder. [With Two Hundred and Fifty-Seven Plates.]. 1912.
page_number
III no. 2380, taf. 200
citation
Pope, Arthur Upham, Phyllis Ackerman, and Theodore Bestermann. A Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present. London: Oxford University Press, 1938.
page_number
III, p. 1995-2162, VI, pl. 1044B
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook.</em> Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958.
page_number
Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 737
citation
Villa Hügel e.V. 7000 [i.e. Siebentausend] Jahre Kunst in Iran. [Ausstellung] 16. Februar bis 24. April 1962 in Villa Hügel, Essen. 1962.
page_number
p. 192, no. 609
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 217
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 217
citation
Bowie, Theodore Robert. Islamic Art Across the World; An Exhibition. 1970.
page_number
no. 331
citation
Welch, Anthony. Shah ʹAbbas &amp; the Arts of Isfahan. [New York]: The Asia Society; distributed by New York Graphic Society [Greenwich, Conn.], 1973.
page_number
p. 67, no. 22
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978</em>. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 276
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
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 360-361, fig. 9.19
creditline
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
updatedAt
2026-05-29 06:44:28.245000
sourceId
130408
dept
Textiles
coll
T - Islamic
med
silk and silver-metal thread: lampas, brocaded
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
f07927cdafdf2bc9