Collections: Arts of the Islamic World: Velvet Panel

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Velvet Panel

In the fifteenth century, the Ottoman textile industry established itself in the province of Bursa (southeast of Istanbul), which became known as both a major manufacturing center and a depot of silk cocoons imported from Iran.

Pieces like this velvet panel were used to decorate walls or were cut to form clothes or domestic funishings for the upper classes. Flowers, particulary carnations and tulips, were recurring motifs that were very popular in Ottoman textile design. With their bold simplicity and often crimson grounds, Ottoman textiles are suggestive of supreme confidence ahd power. The vigilant care of these treasured panels by the court and the elite has ensured their preservation over the centuries.

• Medium: Cut velvet, silk and silver
• Place Made: Turkey
• Dates: 17th-century
• Dynasty: Ottoman
• Period: Ottoman
• Dimensions: 55 x 23in. (139.7 x 58.4cm)
• Collections: Arts of the Islamic World
• Museum Location: This item is not on view
• Accession Number: 86.227.108
• Credit Line: Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc.
• Image: Overall, 86.227.108_PS2.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2009
Velvet Panel, 17th-century. Cut velvet, silk and silver, 55 x 23in. (139.7 x 58.4cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.227.108 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 86.227.108_PS2.jpg)
• Catalogue Description: