Author
Unknown Unknown (designed and made by)
Publication Date
1800
Publication Place
Iran (made) -
Subject
Textiles Leather Embroidery
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
Length: 43cm, Including strap length: 57cm, Maximum width: 16cm, Minimum width: 9.5cm
Library
Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID
971-1889
Record ID
971-1889
Library Location
Middle East Section
Date
1800
Notes
embroidered leather, 1800-1860, Persian
Malzemeler ve teknikler
silk thread, metal thread, cotton yarn, leather, weaving, embroidering, sewing.
Fiziksel açıklama
Holster for a pistol or revolver, leather and silk velvet embroidered with silk in straight stitches, couched metal thread and cotton in chain stitch. Basically this is an elongated triangle with slightly curving sides. The back is flat and is made from brown leather stamped with a pattern of pairs of vertical and diagonal lines forming a chevron design. At the bottom is an arch-shaped piece of green leather into which a strap has been inserted; it ends with a metal buckle and is 27 cm long; it is secured with cotton stitches. The lower edge is bound with a narrow strip of green leather. There is a line of cotton threaded through slits down the sides. Towards the top of the back there is a larger downward pointing arch shape in green leather. Inserted into this are the two ends of a brown leather strap forming a loop and stitched in place with cotton twine. These are further secured by a horizontal piece of brown leather and a piece of white leather which are stitched into 2 small horizontal arch-shaped pieces of green leather. To either side is a 'knot' of leather which secures a long, thin leather strip in place; these 2 strips emerge from side the holster. The front is formed by a curved piece of leather joined down the sides to the back but open at the bottom. An arch-shaped flap of leather covers the upper half of the front. The flap and the uncovered part of the front are covered with red velvet which must have been embroidered first and then glued [?] to the leather. The sides have been reinforced and bound with a strip of leather with blue stitches and the edges of the flap are worked into a chevron pattern using dark red, red, green, light blue, white, faded mauve and yellow silk. The flap is embroidered with the figure of a man on a horse. Poor drawing. He is within an arch shape. There is a border on 3 sides [not across the top] with a meander with flowers and leaves with details in red, blue, black and green silk. The main embroidery is couched metal thread. The lower part of the front has 2 running animals facing to the left, one above the other, with stylized stems and flowers. As it is very worn in the lower part it is possible to see some of the construction: there is a base layer of leather, then layers of card, then unbleached coarse plain weave cotton through which the couching was worked [some red stitches can be seen in diagonal lines] - just along the edge tufts of what I think is red velvet pile can be seen. Silk: 2S, colours as above. Metal Thread: [1] silver strip close S-wound on white silk, sometimes couched over card shapes. [2] silver-gilt strip close S-wound on white silk and sometimes couched over card shapes. [3] some details are outlined with two metal threads twisted together.
