Artwork Page for Fragment with Senmurvs

Details / Information for Fragment with Senmurvs

Fragment with Senmurvs

prior to 1971

Iran or Iraq, in the style of the Abbasid period

(750–1258)
Medium
Silk: lampas weave
Measurements
Overall: 101.4 x 45.7 cm (39 15/16 x 18 in.)
Credit Line
Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1971.22
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
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Did You Know?

Senmurvs are benevolent, mythical birds in Persian mythology and literature.

Description

This fragment preserves three large, aligned, tangent ovals in a column. Each oval contains a senmurv ornamented with foliate and geometric forms; the border contains a stylized foliate motif. Ovals are joined at their cardinal points with a cross-shaped geometric figure within a smaller oval bordered with pearls. Interspaces contain X-shaped medallions consisting of four palmettes around a diamond center.

According to recent analysis of the museum’s Buyid and Abbasid textile materials, some have been identified as modern reproductions.
A vertically rectangular brown silk textile fragment features three stacked circular medallions. Each medallion encloses a mythical winged creature with a canine head and scrolled tail. Interlocking knotted circles and geometric borders connect the medallions against a densely patterned ground. The fine line-work blends into the muted brown of the fabric. Frayed edges and prominent horizontal creases mark the aged, fragmented condition of the delicately woven material.

Fragment with Senmurvs

prior to 1971

Iran or Iraq, in the style of the Abbasid period (750–1258)

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