A rare Safavid silk tomb cover, Persia, dated 1110 AH/1698-99...
of rectangular form, woven in crimson-red, yellow, green, black and cream with alternating calligraphic panels framed by minor bands of calligraphy bearing the date 1110 AH
77 by 276cm.
Condition Report:
The calligraphy clear throughout and the colours well-saturated. Minor areas of staining, as visible in the illustration. Some areas of pulling to the threads, mainly between sections including a small hole to the lower right of the cover between the black and green calligraphic bands. Some areas of repairs and infill. Adhesive residue from previous stickers to the reverse at one corner. Small tears and fraying along the edges. As viewed.
Catalogue Note:
inscriptions
Repetitions of:
ya Imam Husayn madhlum shahid
Bismillah , bearing the date 1110 AH
Qur'an, surah al-fath (XLVIII), v. 1
Qur'an, surah al-saff (LXI), v. 13 (part)
The Safavids produced high quality textiles in silk such as the present lot which was intended as a tomb cover or hanging tribute for a Shi’a shrine. A further tomb cover was sold in these rooms, 1 April 2009, lot 115, and other examples are held in museum collections including the Philadelphia Museum of Art (inv. no.1922.22.90), the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha (inv. no.TE 27.98, Thompson 2004, pp.46-49, no.10) and the Musée Historique des Tissues, Lyon (Welch 1979, pp.154-5, no.64).
The weaver of this tomb cover displays a masterful control of calligraphy and colour to produce elegantly drawn inscriptions in shades of crimson punctuated by contrasting panels in green and black. In relation to the Lyon example, Welch notes that the importance of the surah al-Fath inscription is two-fold. Its contents are fitting for the context of a shrine given that the verse refers to both spiritual and physical victory. The formulation of the verse also allows the weaver to achieve their full calligraphic potential by creating a symmetrical composition in which the fatahna and fath frame the composition (Welch, op.cit. p.154).
Provenance:
Christie's, London, 8 April 2008, lot 190
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of rectangular form, woven in crimson-red, yellow, green, black and cream with alternating calligraphic panels framed by minor bands of calligraphy bearing the date 1110 AH
77 by 276cm.
Condition Report:
The calligraphy clear throughout and the colours well-saturated. Minor areas of staining, as visible in the illustration. Some areas of pulling to the threads, mainly between sections including a small hole to the lower right of the cover between the black and green calligraphic bands. Some areas of repairs and infill. Adhesive residue from previous stickers to the reverse at one corner. Small tears and fraying along the edges. As viewed.
Catalogue Note:
inscriptions
Repetitions of:
ya Imam Husayn madhlum shahid
Bismillah , bearing the date 1110 AH
Qur'an, surah al-fath (XLVIII), v. 1
Qur'an, surah al-saff (LXI), v. 13 (part)
The Safavids produced high quality textiles in silk such as the present lot which was intended as a tomb cover or hanging tribute for a Shi’a shrine. A further tomb cover was sold in these rooms, 1 April 2009, lot 115, and other examples are held in museum collections including the Philadelphia Museum of Art (inv. no.1922.22.90), the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha (inv. no.TE 27.98, Thompson 2004, pp.46-49, no.10) and the Musée Historique des Tissues, Lyon (Welch 1979, pp.154-5, no.64).
The weaver of this tomb cover displays a masterful control of calligraphy and colour to produce elegantly drawn inscriptions in shades of crimson punctuated by contrasting panels in green and black. In relation to the Lyon example, Welch notes that the importance of the surah al-Fath inscription is two-fold. Its contents are fitting for the context of a shrine given that the verse refers to both spiritual and physical victory. The formulation of the verse also allows the weaver to achieve their full calligraphic potential by creating a symmetrical composition in which the fatahna and fath frame the composition (Welch, op.cit. p.154).
Provenance:
Christie's, London, 8 April 2008, lot 190
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
