Apr 23, 2013
Apr 23, 2013
Feb 17, 2015
Sep 3, 2015
Sep 3, 2015

Brocaded velvet with chintamani design

Brocaded velvet with chintamani design

late 1400s

Velvet, brocaded: silk and silver-metal thread

Overall: 81.3 x 28.6 cm (32 x 11 1/4 in.); Mounted: 91.4 x 39.4 cm (36 x 15 1/2 in.)

Gift of Adolph Loewi 1943.313

Location

Description

This early Ottoman brocaded velvet was woven in an imperial workshop in the prosperous city of Bursa, the silk capital and major commercial center of the Ottoman Empire. It has exceptionally rich crimson silk pile, almost twice as dense as later monochrome velvets. The brocaded pattern of three balls and paired wavy bands is known as chintamani, derived from the Sanskrit word for a popular Buddhist motif, “the three jewels,” shown surrounded by flames or foliage in Buddhist art across Asia. Based on the high frequency of its use in art for the Islamic court of the Ottoman Turks, it appears to have been a favored motif and possibly even an unofficial imperial emblem.

See also
Collection: 
T - Islamic
Department: 
Textiles
Type of artwork: 
Velvet
Credit line: 
Gift of Adolph Loewi

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email [email protected].

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.