Jameel Gallery
Animal Pelt Designs
Pairs of wavy lines and groups of three large dots represent the pelts of the striped tiger and spotted leopard. In the Islamic world, the designs acquired powerful associations. The Iranian hero Rustam, for example, is usually depicted wearing a tiger-skin coat.
By 1500, these designs were popular on Ottoman Turkish textiles, and were often combined. They soon appeared in other media, such as tilework.
The triple-dot design has been confused with the Buddhist ‘precious jewel’ motif (Sanskrit cintamani), which is sometimes shown in groups of three. But there is no connection.
3 Velvet Fragment
Turkey, probably Bursa
1450–1550
Silk velvet
Museum no. 356-1897
[Jameel Gallery]