SAFAVID TEXTILE 76 x 71 cm (2ft. 6in. x 2ft. 4in.) Persia, 18th century Condition: very good, very few signs of use Warp: silk, weft: silk.

During the first third of the 17th century Shah Abbas concentrated textile production in his new capital Esfahan. He gained control over the silk producing Caspian provinces and due to reconquering the harbours in the Persian Gulf controlled the trade to India and China. Silks produced at that time were derived from court art and produced in the Imperial workshops. Designs were taken from miniature paintings depicting hunting scenes, garden settings and stories from the Shahnama. Typical as well is a design of single flowers in a row. A possible connection to European herbals with their depictions of single plants has been made in terms of the art of the moguls. In this piece we not only see one single flower rising out of an earth mound but another plant form next to it. Behind in the distance we see the light blue coloured shape of another single flower with tilted head.