Publication Date
Circa 1008/1600
Publication Place
-
Royal Museum, National Museum of Scotland NMS
Subject
Silk, cotton and silver brocade (sleeve).
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 73.5 سم؛ العرض: 72 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
A. 1884.65.17
Record ID
object;ISL;uk;Mus03;41;ar
Library Location
Royal Museum, National Museum of Scotland NMS
Date
Circa 1008/1600
Notes
A piece of silk brocade (sleeve) was the back of a child's kaftan without a collar and with short sleeves, detailed with a straight waist and a bell-shaped skirt. The fabric is woven with an intense floral design of swirling pink branches and large lavender flowers arranged in regular clusters. The flowers are painted red on a silvery green background. This design was common on kamaha fabrics, and was also common on other materials such as tile. The original museum archives indicate that the piece represents part of a ceremonial dress for a child from Constantinople or Bursa, and may have arrived in Turkey via Syria. This complex weaving technique, known as Chinese silk, was used by the Ottomans in the late 9th-early 10th / late 15th-early 16th centuries. The most important Ottoman silk factories were located in Bursa, but during the 10th / 16th century, court workshops also appeared in the Ottoman capital, Istanbul. The kamaha was designed to emphasize the imperial status of the Sultan and his family even after death. This type of clothing was placed on top of coffins or imperial chests. This piece forms part of a collection of clothing that was brought to Europe by an art dealer, cut up and divided between the Victoria and Albert Museums in London and the Royal Museum in Edinburgh.
Sample Text
Ulrike Al-Khamis “Piece of a Caftan” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;uk;Mus03;41;ar
