A Safavid silk sash, Persia, 17th/18th century

weft-faced compound tabby with wadding warp and binding warp of silk, brocaded and floating wefts of tram silk and metal lamella spun around a silk core, the main field brocaded on cream ground in repeated units of bands of floral scrolls in green, red and blue on a beige and gold ground alternating with bands of beige and gold flowers and spirals on a red ground, separated by narrow beaded borders, outer borders with floral scrolls in brown, red, green, turquoise and white, the endpieces with five large floral sprays set within a rectangular field with borders of floral scrolls
556 by 59.5cm.

Catalogue Note:
In the seventeenth century, sashes such as the present example were an essential element of noble costume and conveyed the status of the wearer through variations in length, colour, quality and design (Mackie 2015, p.388). The sashes were worn low on the waist, wrapped and tied such that the blossoms at each end were visible at the front, as shown by a magnificent Safavid oil portrait sold in these rooms, 8 October 2008, lot 49.

The varying silk wefts in these sashes results in a delicate chromatic display that complements the fine drawing of the floral blossoms. The exceptional quality of the textiles appealed to the European markets and sashes were exported, becoming especially popular in Poland. A closely comparable sash is in the Metropolitan Museum of Art (acc. no.15.70.2).

Provenance:
Sotheby's, London, 'A Princely Collection', 5 October 2010, lot 105