This cover belongs to a weaving tradition that developed in Iran during the nineteenth century. Typically cream-white in tone, owing to the predominant use of white or undyed materials, textiles like this are sometimes called "white-work" and were woven for use as prayer mats, clothing, and furnishings. The ajouré (openwork) decoration seen here was often used for white face veils (rubanda) worn in Qajar Iran because the openings allowed the wearer to see.
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Title:Cover
Date:19th century
Geography:Attributed to Iran
Medium:Cotton; embroidered with silk and metal-wrapped thread
Dimensions:H. 23 in. (58.4 cm) W. 22 in. (55.9 cm)
Classification:Textiles-Embroidered
Credit Line:Edward C. Moore Collection, Bequest of Edward C. Moore, 1891
Accession Number:91.1.82
Cover
This textile belongs to a particular type of weaving tradition that developed in Iran during the nineteenth century. Such fabrics are commonly cream-white in tone, owing to the predominant use of white or undyed materials, and are thus sometimes called "white-work."[1] The present example employs complex weaving and embroidery techniques to achieve its ajouré, or openwork, decoration. It was first woven on a plain-weave cotton ground in a less dense construction, which then enabled the embroiderer to separate individual threads and embellish them with embroidery or needlework. Fine silk embroidery applied in the remaining areas enhances the surface texture.
White-work textiles were woven for various purposes, including prayer mats, clothing, and furnishings. The ajouré technique, especially, was used for the white face veils (rubanda) worn in Qajar Iran because the openwork allowed the wearer to see.[2] In the present textile, the square format and size suggest a use as a cover or cushion for the home. The concentric geometric composition, featuring a large octagon in the central field surrounded by a border with hexagons and confronted triangles, is characteristic of this style of needlework, although other decorative motifs, such as the embroidered flowers with lozenge-shaped petals here, are occasionally incorporated. Metallic-thread embroidery serves to highlight certain repeating motifs and contours, thus increasing the graphic effect and avoiding the flatness that might result from the pale, plain coloration.
Deniz Beyazit in [Higgins Harvey 2021]
Footnotes:
1. See Jennifer Wearden and Patricia L. Baker. Iranian Textiles. London: V&A Publishing, 2010, p. 54.
2. For a buranda in the Moore collection, see MMA 91.1.81.
3. An old label with the number 51 is attached to this textile. In an early inventory of the collection, it is listed as no. 719 (along with the previous number, 51), suggesting that it might be among the first works from the Islamic lands that Moore collected; see "Complete List, E. C. Moore Collection, Belonging to the Dr. I. H. Hall Office," undated [1891–96], Edward C. Moore Collection files, Office of the Secretary Records, MMA Archives. One of the earliest acquisitions was probably a Spanish luster plate listed as no. 433.
Edward C. Moore (American), New York (until d. 1891; bequeathed to MMA)
Beyazit, Deniz, Maryam Ekhtiar, and Sheila R. Canby. Collecting Inspiration : Edward C. Moore at Tiffany & Co., edited by Medill Higgins Harvey. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2021. no. 134, pp. 199–200, ill.
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