Jacket of woven silk and metal thread lined with roller printed cotton and faced with woven wool and with a part interlining of silk and metal thread.
Short-sleeved, hip length jacket. Central back panel, shoulder seams. Pieces added to the sides to form a flare with pronounced curved section over the hips. Short sleeves pieced at the back. There is a diamond shaped opening under each arm. Small stand-up collar nicely seamed around the neck. Very wide opening at the front tapering to the bottom; no overlap.
Main fabric: 'gold' ground [silver-gilt close S-wound on a yellow silk core]. White leaves form an ogival lattice with a 4-petalled flowerhead where the lines meet. There are two types of floral spray in rows: [1] green leaves, pink flower which is not quite open and two large and two small buds; [2] round pink flower, fully opened, surrounded by 4 round buds and 2 flowers; green leaves.
Lining: roller printed cotton with a pink and red marble effect; faded at the front opening.
Facing: striped woollen: red and white stripes each with a small floral sprig. There is evidence of an interlining under the facing - it has no pattern and seems to be a white fabric woven with a silver metal thread.Woman's jacket, woven silk and metal thread, lined with European roller-printed cotton, Iran, 1800-60Jacket, Blouse and Skirt Iran
About 1800–40
Women of the Qajar court in early 19th-century Tehran would have worn this combination of short jacket, gauzy open-fronted blouse and voluminous skirt. They would have henna-painted hands and feet, and sometimes even painted bodies. A painting on the wall opposite this case show Qajar women wearing similar clothing.Woven silk with metal thread, silk embroidery and seed pearls
Museum nos. 730-1884, T.57-1979
Jameel Gallery [31/08/2012]