Embroidered Panel (possibly a cushion cover)mid-16th century

On view:

Geffen Galleries, floor 3

Embroidered crimson-red textile with symmetrical allover pattern of gold floral medallions, stylized birds with long tail feathers, curving vines, and small scattered blossoms in ivory, teal, and yellow

Title: Embroidered Panel (possibly a cushion cover)
Place Made: Turkey
Date Made: mid-16th century
Medium: Silk satin with silk and metallic thread embroidery
Dimensions: 34 1/8 x 33 in. Strainer: 40 1/8 × 40 1/8 × 1 3/4 in. (101.92 × 101.92 × 4.45 cm) Frame: 40 11/16 × 40 11/16 × 3 3/8 in. (103.35 × 103.35 × 8.57 cm)
Credit Line: The Edwin Binney, 3rd, Collection of Turkish Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Accession Number: M.85.237.8
Classification: Textiles
Collecting Area: Costume and Textiles
Curatorial Notes: The reign of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (1520−66) is often viewed as the heyday of the Ottoman dynasty. By the mid-sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire extended from central Europe to the Indian Ocean, representing the peak of its military and political power. Süleyman’s reign also produced some of the greatest achievements of Ottoman architecture and many of the most spectacular decorative arts, including textiles.

This richly embellished textile gives a vivid sense of the multihued opulence of Süleyman’s court. Presumably a cushion cover for a sofa, the crimson satin fabric is embroidered with silk and gold- and silver-wrapped thread. The bold blossoms and spiky leaves that typify the Ottoman court style are arranged, along with a quartet of lively golden roosters, around a complex eight-lobed gold medallion. The quality of the design, the fine embroidery, and the lavish use of gold and silver metallic thread demonstrate the unrivaled excellence of sixteenth-century Ottoman imperial textiles (see also M.45.3.126).

2024
Selected Bibliography: Komaroff, Linda. Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005.
Pal, Pratapaditya, Thomas W. Lentz, Sheila R. Canby, Edwin Binney, 3rd, Walter B. Denny, and Stephen Markel. "Arts from Islamic Cultures: Los Angeles County Museum of Art." Arts of Asia 17, no. 6 (November/December 1987): 73-130.

Embroidered Panel (possibly a cushion cover)mid-16th century

On view:

Geffen Galleries, floor 3

Title: Embroidered Panel (possibly a cushion cover)
Place Made: Turkey
Date Made: mid-16th century
Medium: Silk satin with silk and metallic thread embroidery
Dimensions: 34 1/8 x 33 in. Strainer: 40 1/8 × 40 1/8 × 1 3/4 in. (101.92 × 101.92 × 4.45 cm) Frame: 40 11/16 × 40 11/16 × 3 3/8 in. (103.35 × 103.35 × 8.57 cm)
Credit Line: The Edwin Binney, 3rd, Collection of Turkish Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Accession Number: M.85.237.8
Classification: Textiles
Collecting Area: Costume and Textiles
Curatorial Notes: The reign of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (1520−66) is often viewed as the heyday of the Ottoman dynasty. By the mid-sixteenth century, the Ottoman Empire extended from central Europe to the Indian Ocean, representing the peak of its military and political power. Süleyman’s reign also produced some of the greatest achievements of Ottoman architecture and many of the most spectacular decorative arts, including textiles.

This richly embellished textile gives a vivid sense of the multihued opulence of Süleyman’s court. Presumably a cushion cover for a sofa, the crimson satin fabric is embroidered with silk and gold- and silver-wrapped thread. The bold blossoms and spiky leaves that typify the Ottoman court style are arranged, along with a quartet of lively golden roosters, around a complex eight-lobed gold medallion. The quality of the design, the fine embroidery, and the lavish use of gold and silver metallic thread demonstrate the unrivaled excellence of sixteenth-century Ottoman imperial textiles (see also M.45.3.126).

2024
Selected Bibliography: Komaroff, Linda. Islamic Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Los Angeles: Museum Associates, 2005.
Pal, Pratapaditya, Thomas W. Lentz, Sheila R. Canby, Edwin Binney, 3rd, Walter B. Denny, and Stephen Markel. "Arts from Islamic Cultures: Los Angeles County Museum of Art." Arts of Asia 17, no. 6 (November/December 1987): 73-130.