A SAFAVID FRAGMENTARY SILK TOMB COVER
of square form, woven in cream on blue ground, with mirrored calligraphic panels from Qur’an, surah al-fath (XLVIII), v. 1
إنا فتحنا لك فتحا مبينا
Indeed, We have given you, [O Muḥammad], a clear conquest
approximately 44 by 43cm
The Safavids produced high quality textiles in silk such as the present textile which was intended as a tomb cover or hanging tribute for a Shi’a shrine, examples are held in museum collections including the Philadelphia Museum of Art (inv. no.1922.22.90), the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha (inv. no.TE 27.98, Thompson 2004, pp.46-49, no.10) and the Musée Historique des Tissues, Lyon (Welch 1979, pp.154-5, no.64). In relation to the Lyon example, Welch notes that the importance of the surah al-Fath inscription is two-fold. Its contents are fitting for the context of a shrine given that the verse refers to both spiritual and physical victory. The formulation of the verse also allows the weaver to achieve their full calligraphic potential by creating a symmetrical composition in which the fatahna and fath frame the composition (Welch, op.cit. p.154).
Provenance: Robert Kime the personal collection
