Cover

Square cover of silk brocade woven with metal-wrapped thread. Field patterned with a small-scale floral ogival lattice design. Each cartouche frames a single bunch of three flowers typical of the Persianate style; the motif is repeated in alternating directions. Silver gilt-wrapped yellow threads form a golden ground, patterned with red-orange, faded pink, green, and white threads. The cover has been stitched together in multiple pieces, and bordered with a brocaded red silk twill patterned with boteh (paisley) motifs. An additional interior trim of silk brocade woven with metal-wrapped thread and patterned with a scrolling floral vine can be seen on two ends. The main fabric has been repeated to form the corners. These silk brocades, called termeh when patterned with boteh, were a specialty of Kashan and Isfahan in Iran (Persia) dating back to at least the seventeenth century. Used primarily for luxury garments, they were often repurposed into decorative covers. This cover has been backed with blue twill cloth bordered with a plain-weave cloth dyed bright green. Apart from the bright green fabric, the finishing of this cover—including the borders on the face—is the same as A590. Other related objects in the Penn Museum: A581, A584, A585, A587, A588, A591, A592; see A587 especially. Square, central panel of flowers in orange, grey, white and green in between wavy stripes on a gold background. Thin upper and lower border with floral designs on a light green ground. Borders around all four edges are of floral designs in yellow, purple, blue and white on a red ground. Each of the four corners have an additional piece of cloth that copies the central panel design. The reverse has a dark blue backing with a green border.