Length of Velvet
1875/1900
Medium
Silk, twill weave with supplementary warp forming cut velvet; pile warp-dyed (ikat)
Dimensions
134.6 × 39 cm (53 × 13 3/8 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
185618
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
The tiger-stripe pattern of this velvet is not traditional to Uzbekistan. It may have been inspired by Russian or East Asian designs; in the late nineteenth century imported luxury goods from these regions influenced local design. The technique of dyeing the warp before weaving is called ikat. Creating a velvet in this manner requires a significant amount of planning and skill on the part of the silk thread dyers and the weavers. The production of silk velvet ikat was a specialty of the highly s...
About the Artist
Unknown
The artist designated as "Unknown" in our virtual museum's collection exemplifies a poignant chapter in art history: creators whose identities have faded into obscurity despite the enduring power of their work. With only one known artwork attributed to them in our holdings, this figure represents countless anonymous hands that shaped visual culture across centuries. Museums worldwide, including th...