Complete Description
L’étoffe de velours rouille richement brodée en technique zardosi de fils de métal dorés et argentés, agrémentés de sequins argentés, la niche décorée de bouquets de fleurs, de motifs de vases et de guirlandes de palmettes, rehaussé de soie rose et blanche, les bords frangés, bon état général.
Dim. : 220 x 110 cm
Ancienne collection Pierre Loti (1850-1923)
Puis par héritage, collection Elsie Charlier Loti-Viaud (1898-1980), belle-fille de Pierre Loti
Sa vente, Me Dijeau, Rochefort-sur-Mer, 14 décembre 1980
Collection particulière française, acquis auprès d'Yvan de Wilde, 2010
Zardozi, a traditional embroidery technique of Persian origin—zar meaning gold and dozi meaning sewing—is characterised by the use of metallic threads (zari), sequins and beads to create richly textured relief patterns on precious textiles, often intended for ceremonial use. This technique was refined in the 18th and 19th centuries by Indian embroiderers and employed for the most luxurious garments and hangings, reserved for princely courts. Varanasi in northern India, as well as the Muslim courts of the Nizam of Hyderabad and Tipu Sultan in Mysore, are frequently associated with this production (see a princely coat in the Musée du Quai Branly, inv. 70.2022.39.3, and two textiles in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, inv. 0762(IS) and 784-1864). This hanging, decorated with a prayer-niche (mihrab) motif, was probably intended for a Muslim patron.
