PART OF A CHILD'S DRESS.
TURKISH: 16th century.
From a royal tomb at Constantinople or Broussa.
5 shaft satin ground; 1/3 twill binding for the pattern.
3 ground warps, 1 binding warp; 1 ground, 1 pattern weft.
Selvage: ΒΌ" satin, green silk.
Warps: ground: /silk, red; binding:/ silk, cream.
Wefts: ground://or///silk, cream or red:
Pattern:\ gilt metal strip on a yellow ^silk core,
Yellow silk used with metal thread,///silk, white.
Braid: plaited\silver metal strip on a white silk core. [Used until 08/1997]
Jameel Gallery
Princes' Kaftans from Ottoman Turkey
These three kaftans (and another in a nearby case) were worn by Ottoman princes who died when they were children. They were preserved in imperial tombs where, in accordance with Ottoman custom, they were placed over the graves of the deceased.
The kaftans may have come from the graves of the 19 younger sons of Sultan Murat III, who were executed at the succession of their half-brother, Mehmet III, in 1595. This gory practice, designed to avoid a struggle for the succession, was never repeated.
The kaftans, woven of silk and metal-wrapped thread, show that even in childhood, Ottoman princes were dressed in the same lavish style as the sultan and his courtiers. The wide range of designs of the time include a meandering vine set with tulips, which clearly influenced contemporary embroidery (see case opposite).
Museum nos 768, 763, 754-1884 [2006-2012]