The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of May 14, 2024

Man's surcoat (khalat)

Man's surcoat (khalat)

late 1800s
Silk: embroidery, cross-stitch
Overall: 150 x 218.4 cm (59 1/16 x 86 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade 1916.1412
Location: not on view

Description

Prestigious men’s surcoats embellished with designs such as this dramatic decoration in cross-stitch were among the most elaborate silk-thread embroidered garments in Central Asia. In a flamboyant style, large palmettes framed by split palmette leaves dominate with quartered rosettes and smaller flora on a brilliant yellow ground. Foliate vines enhance the edge along the front center opening, hemline, and cuffs. It is lined with an ikat of cypress trees and finger-looped trim. The style and technique represent professional work from Shahr-i Sabz, south of Samarkand. The pattern was drawn on the cotton ground cloth of the surcoat, then disassembled for stitching, and finally reassembled—revealed by severed and misaligned motifs plus mismatched colors.
  • ?-1916
    Mr. Jeptha Homer Wade II [1857-1926] and Mrs. Ellen Garretson Wade [1859-1917], Cleveland, OH, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art
    1916-
    The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Thomson, Nancy. The Heritage of Islam: Notes. London: PCET, 1982. no. 224, p. 55
    Mackie, Louise. "Embroidered Surcoat." Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine, 54 no. 1 (January/February 2014): 27. Mentioned and Reproduced: p. 27 archive.org
    Mackie, Louise W. Symbols of Power: Luxury Textiles from Islamic Lands, 7th-21st Century. Cleveland, OH; New Haven, CT: The Cleveland Museum of Art; Yale University Press, 2015. Mentioned: p. 400; Reproduced: fig. 9.61, p. 401
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Museum Masters: 2016-17 Companion Guide. [Cleveland, Ohio]: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2016. Mentioned and Reproduced: P. 29
  • Luxuriance: Silks from Islamic Lands, 1250-1900. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (May 14, 2013-June 23, 2014).
    The Heritage of Islam. Houston, TX; Pittsburgh, PA; San Francisco, CA; Washington, DC (March 10, 1982-September 5, 1983).
    For Modern America from the Ancient Near East. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 24-March 21, 1948).
  • {{cite web|title=Man's surcoat (khalat)|url=false|author=|year=late 1800s|access-date=14 May 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1916.1412