http://collection.shangrilahawaii.org/internal/media/dispatcher/20306/fullEmbroidered (Rasht-i douzi) Table Cover19th - 20th centuryDiameter: 62 in. (157.5cm)Wool, silkCourtesy of the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art85.781This elaborately embroidered wool and silk textile boasts geometric and vegetal motifs with clear links to Persian as well as Chinese iconography. The intricate patterning and high quality of needlework assure us that this cloth - although in form certainly possibly used as a tablecloth topper - was a highly prized artwork only for special occasions.
Thick, felted or quilted table toppers helped to keep in the heat generated by charcoal-fed braziers kept under the table. A longer “underskirt” would have lain underneath the topper.
Textiles0E-100E-100E-101645373782