Lampas with dancers and musicians
Unknown Artist
1600–1650
Medium
silk and silver-metal thread: lampas, brocaded
Dimensions
87.7 × 52.1 cm · mounted: 94 × 58.4 cm
Classification
Textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund
Accession Number
1953.17
About this artwork
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 i...