Wall hanging

Historical period(s)
mid 19th century
Medium
2.5 panels, warp-faced plain weave; silk, cotton
Dimensions
H x W (overall): 132 x 92 cm (51 15/16 x 36 1/4 in)
Geography
Uzbekistan, Bukhara
Credit Line
Gift of Guido Goldman
Collection
Arthur M. Sackler Collection
Accession Number
S2004.69
On View Location
Currently not on view
Classification(s)
Costume and Textile
Type

Wall hanging

Keywords
Goldman collection, Uzbekistan
Provenance
Provenance research underway.
Label

This wall hanging, part of a gift from the world-renowned Guido Goldman collection, is characteristic of nineteenth-century ikat production in Central Asia. Ikat is a Malay-Indonesian word for the intricate cloth-making process in which threads are patterned by repeated binding and dying before they are woven. The term can also be used for the textiles themselves. Ikats have been made in different parts of the world, but those created in Central Asia during the nineteenth century are unrivaled for their vibrant colors and bold patterns.

Produced in cities such as Bukhara and Samarqand in present-day Uzbekistan and in towns of the Farghana Valley in today's Tajikistan, ikats brought the colors of blooming gardens to a stark desert environment. They were used to embellish mud-plastered walls, divide interior spaces, and construct outdoor tents for ceremonial occasions.

Published References
  • Kate Fitz Gibbon, Andrew Hale. IKAT: Silks of Central Asia, the Guido Goldman Collection. Exh. cat. London. cat. 22, p. 71.
Collection Area(s)
Arts of the Islamic World
Web Resources
Google Cultural Institute
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