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Sep 4, 2009

Lampas with dancers and musicians

1600–1650

Iran, Safavid period

(1501–1722)

Silk and silver-metal thread: lampas, brocaded

Overall: 87.7 x 52.1 cm (34 1/2 x 20 1/2 in.); Mounted: 94 x 58.4 cm (37 x 23 in.)

Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund 1953.17

Location

not on view

Description

This sturdy silk with extensive silver-metal thread displays a dancer and musicians in varied Iranian and European attire, including curved-brim Portuguese or Dutch hats, that reflect the cosmopolitanism initiated by Shah ‘Abbas (reigned 1587–1629). The figures in this landscape are about the same size and equally spaced with minimal interaction, yet they create movement that disguises the repeat of the design. Although the history of textiles is replete with anonymity, signed silks were woven in Iran around 1600. The name of the presumed designer, Abdallah, appears in cursive script on the tambourines. The rise of signed textiles followed a shift away from royal manuscript patronage, causing artists to sign their work to sell in the marketplace. European influence, a new distinguishing hallmark, was transmitted through engravings by traveling European artists.

Inscriptions

Inscription

on the tambourine of one of the musicians is inscribed: "Abdallah."

Provenance

Kelekian Collection; (Heeramaneck Galleries).

Citations

Ausstellung von Meisterwerken muhammedanischer Kunst, 1910 (MUNICH), Max van BERCHEM, Moriz DREGER, Ernst KUEHNEL, Camillo LIST, Fredrik Robert MARTIN, Friedrich SARRE, and Severin SCHROEDER. Die Ausstellung Von Meisterwerken Muhammedanischer Kunst in München, 1910. Herausgegeben Von F. Sarre Und F.R. Martin Unter Mitwirkung Von M. Van Berchem, M. Dreger, E. Kühnel, C. List Und S. Schröder. [With Two Hundred and Fifty-Seven Plates.]. 1912. III no. 2380, taf. 200

Pope, Arthur Upham, Phyllis Ackerman, and Theodore Bestermann. A Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present. London: Oxford University Press, 1938. III, p. 1995-2162, VI, pl. 1044B

The Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art Handbook. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1958. Mentioned and Reproduced: cat. no. 737 archive.org

Villa Hügel e.V. 7000 [i.e. Siebentausend] Jahre Kunst in Iran. [Ausstellung] 16. Februar bis 24. April 1962 in Villa Hügel, Essen. 1962. p. 192, no. 609

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 217 archive.org

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 217 archive.org

Bowie, Theodore Robert. Islamic Art Across the World; An Exhibition. 1970. no. 331

Welch, Anthony. Shah ʹAbbas & the Arts of Isfahan. [New York]: The Asia Society; distributed by New York Graphic Society [Greenwich, Conn.], 1973. p. 67, no. 22

The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 276 archive.org

Mackie, Louise W. Symbols of Power: Luxury Textiles from Islamic Lands, 7th-21st Century. Cleveland; New Haven: Cleveland Museum of Art; Yale University Press, 2015. Mentioned and reproduced: P. 360-361, fig. 9.19

Exhibition history

7000 ans d'art en Iran. Petit Palais, Paris, France (October-December 1961); Villa Huegel, Essen, Germany ([February 16-April 14, 1962); Kunsthaus, Zurich, Switzerland (May 17-July 22, 1962); Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, Netherlands (September 4-November 18, 1962); Ente manifestazioni Milanesi, Milan, Italy (February 16-June 30, 1963).

Islamic Art Across the World: an Exhibition Prepared by Theodore Bowie in Partial Celebration of the 150th Anniversary of Indiana University. Indiana University Art Museum, Bloomington, IN (June 18-October 1, 1970).

Shah Abbas and the Arts of Isfahan. Asia House Gallery, New York, (October 11-December 2, 1973); Fogg Art Museum, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (January 19-February 24, 1974).

XVII European Exhibition of Art, Science and Culture. Government of Portugal, Jeronimos Monastery, Lisbon (May-October 1983).

The Exhibition of Persian Art: 7000 Years of Art in Iran. Petit Palais, Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, Paris, France (organizer) (October 19, 1961-January 31, 1962); Villa Hügel, Essen, Germany (February 16-April 24, 1962); Kunsthaus Zürich, CH-8024 Zürich, Switzerland (May 17-July 22, 1962); Gemeentemuseum den Haag, The Hague, Netherlands (September 4-November 18, 1962); MAK, the Österreichisches Museum für angewandte Kunst/Gegenwartskunst, Vienna, Austria (January 16-March 31, 1963).

Islamic Art. Indiana University Art Museum, Bloomington, IN (organizer) (June 15-October 1, 1970).

The Arts of Isfahan. Asia House Galleries, New York City, NY (organizer) (October 10-December 2, 1973); Fogg Art Museum/Harvard University, Cambridge, MA (January 19-February 22, 1974).

Luxuriance: Silks from Islamic Lands, 1250-1900. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 14, 2013-June 23, 2014).

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{{cite web|title=Lampas with dancers and musicians|url=https://clevelandart.org/art/1953.17|year=1600–1650|access-date=05 December 2023|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

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Lampas with dancers and musicians

Lampas with dancers and musicians

Iran, Safavid period

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