Woven silk and metal thread panel depicting a bird motif. Persian, Iran, ca. 1800-60.woven silk and metal thread, impressed lines, backed with printed cotton, bound with plain weave silk.
The exact purpose of this piece is not know. The main fabric is a light red ground warp-faced plain weave silk with a repeating pattern of a large parrot perched on a shrub with two buds and a large blossom. The birds face right along the bottom row and to the left on the upper row. The colours alternate and are dark and light blue with an orange bird or brown and white with an orange bird. The metal thread is silver strip open S-wound on an orange silk core. Three lines have been impressed to form a diamond around each motif. A panel of blue plain weave cotton has been added along the bottom and a strip of black silk [bias cut] has been added over the seam. A binding of the same black fabric, but not bias cut, is around 3 sides of this object; dark pink silk binds the lower edge.
Backing: pieced; red ground cotton printed with leafy botehs in white, blue and purple; facing alternate direction in alternate rows.
Twisted dark blue cotton cord forms a small loop along the lower edge.