Brocaded velvet cover with sunbursts

early 1600s

Turkey, Istanbul or Bursa

Medium

velvet, brocaded: silk, gilt- and silver-metal thread, and cotton

Measurements

Overall: 180.7 x 128.3 cm (71 1/8 x 50 1/2 in.); Mounted: 185.4 x 134 cm (73 x 52 3/4 in.)

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund 2008.146

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Location

Not on view

Description

The rare sunburst pattern contrasts in its boldness with delicate floral motifs; the sunburst’s dynamic rays terminate in small tulips bearing hyacinths that alternate with peacock feathers. Interstitial motifs display the favorite telltale Turkish flora of carnations, tulips, and hyacinths. Quantities of luxury textiles were made for the Ottoman sultans, who were the largest consumers of textiles in the Western world by the mid-1500s and early 1600s. Textiles were lavishly displayed in ceremonies, presented as splendid robes of honor, and visible as furnishing fabrics in the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul where they spoke to the vast power and unfathomable wealth of the Ottoman Empire.