Figural Silk in Safavid Iran Nazanin Hedayat Munroe Synopsis: Figural silk is the term used by art historians to identify textiles woven with images of human figures. Primarily produced in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Safavid Iran, the design process involved skilled textile specialists who worked in organized workshops and sometimes included signatures on their silk fabrics.…
Tag: Textiles Topics
Ottoman Costume Portraits: Photographs in the Elbise-i Osmaniyye
Ottoman Costume Portraits: Photographs in the Elbise-i Osmaniyye Erin Hyde Nolan Synopsis: This presentation examines the Elbise-i Osmaniyye, a catalogue of popular Ottoman costumes commissioned by the Ottoman court for the 1873 Vienna World’s Fair. The Elbise contains 320 pages of text and 74 phototypes of men and women in regional dress. Photographic albums such…
Prayer Carpets
Prayer Carpets Sumru Belger Krody Synopsis: This presentation focuses on a type of textile object that is an integral part of Islamic devotion: namely, the prayer carpet. Textiles in Islamic society fulfill far more than the functions normally expected of them. Among them, prayer carpets hold a special place. These knotted-pile carpets are placed on…
Hajj Materials and Rites from Egypt
Hajj Materials and Rites from Egypt Richard McGregor Synopsis: The pre-modern pilgrimage to Mecca, or hajj, included several public rituals that contributed significantly to Islamic visual culture. Perhaps the two most prominent were those associated with the mahmal (litter) and the kiswa (covering) of the Ka‘ba. For centuries, both of these textile objects were produced in Egypt, and celebrated with…
Craft and Aesthetics in Byzantine and Early Islamic Textiles
Craft and Aesthetics in Byzantine and Early Islamic Textiles Elizabeth Dospěl Williams Synopsis: Textiles counted among the most valuable category of luxury objects circulating in the Sasanian, Byzantine, and early Islamic periods (7th-9th centuries). They played a key role in transmitting visual motifs in a wide geographic zone, and over many centuries. This presentation explores…
The Egyptian Tentmakers and the Art of Khayamiya
The Egyptian Tentmakers and the Art of Khayamiya Sam Bowker Synopsis: This talk introduces the textile art of tentmaker appliqué, or “khayamiya.” Historically, the Egyptian tentmakers sewed complex decorative interiors for urban tents, providing spectacular temporary venues for public and private events. Today, they use these skills to create textile artworks resembling quilts, sustaining their…