Middle East, Textile; woven silk, 1800-1860, PersianWoven silk and metal thread.
Described with the Museum Number in the top left hand corner. There are patterned bands across the top with a blue ground and a dense pattern in 'gold' metal thread [silver strip open S-wound on a silk core] with red details. There are connected stems forming a pattern of squares with large and small blossoms and small leaves and tendrils. Below this is a gold band [silver-gilt strip S-wound on a yellow silk core] with a pink flower, a mauve iris, a smaller mauve flower and small green leaves and a white stem. Either side is a chevron in blue and white. This combination also appears across the bottom but the 'gold' ground is woven with silver-gilt wire[ and not strip around a silk core].
The main section has diagonal stripes running from the lower left to the upper right. The narrow stripes have either a'gold' ground [metal wire used as a weft] with a white meander with groups of 3 red flowers and groups of 3 mauve flowers, or a white/silver ground [silver strip open S-wound on a white silk core] with the same pattern. The wide stripes have a gold wire ground and three main motifs:
[1] a large mauve iris; [2] a 4-petalled pink flower; [3] a star-like mauve and pink flower. All linked by a white/silver undulating line bearing small flowers.
Selvedge: 2 white cotton cords.
The bottom edge has been cut. There is a fine checked band across the top which marks a loom/piece end.