Woven Silk
1550-1600 (made)
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| Place of origin |
This is an example of the most prestigious type of Ottoman silk textile. It is known in Turkish as a seraser, indicating that the cloth is faced 'from end to end' by expensive gold or silver thread. Here the silver ground has a striking pattern of roundels worked in red and green and set in staggered rows. The realistic cypress and rose-buds help to date this piece. They were introduced in the 1550s, so this textile must have been made after that time.
Object details
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| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Woven silk, the ground faced with wefts of metal thread |
| Brief description | Fragment of silk with metal thread, decorated with roundels formed of cypress- and rosebud-motifs, Turkey (probably Bursa), 1550-1600. |
| Physical description | Fragment of silk with metal thread, decorated with roundels formed of cypress- and rosebud-motifs, Turkey (probably Bursa), 1550-1600. |
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| Gallery label | Jameel Gallery
Cloth of Silver
Turkey, probably Bursa
1550-1600
The lavish use of silver-wrapped thread in the weft of this piece is a feature of seraser fabrics, the most highly prized of all Ottoman textiles. The design - staggered roundels filled with stylised cypress trees alternating with rose buds - is a rare variation on the usual repetition of medallions.
Silk and metal-wrapped thread in taqueté weave
Museum no. 835-1904(2006-2012) |
| Summary | This is an example of the most prestigious type of Ottoman silk textile. It is known in Turkish as a seraser, indicating that the cloth is faced 'from end to end' by expensive gold or silver thread. Here the silver ground has a striking pattern of roundels worked in red and green and set in staggered rows. The realistic cypress and rose-buds help to date this piece. They were introduced in the 1550s, so this textile must have been made after that time. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | 835-1904 |
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| Record created | February 4, 2003 |
| Record URL |
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