Metal Ground Fragment with Floral Design
Former TitleFragment
CulturePersian
Date17th century
MediumSilk and metal-wrapped silk
DimensionsOverall: 7 5/8 × 4 1/8 inches (19.37 × 10.48 cm)
Credit LinePurchase: William Rockhill Nelson Trust
Object number31-126/41 C
On View
Not on viewCollections
DescriptionSilver ground, rows of flower shrub, tulips, pinks, roses in blue, green and pink.Gallery LabelIn the 17th century, contact between Europe, the Middle East and Eastern Asia disseminated ideas, colors, patterns and textiles. Although floral patterns were widely made elsewhere, no other workshops could emulate Persian weaving. The Persian aristocracy boldly displayed their status and wealth on the walls, floors and furniture of their magnificent palaces. Some of the most luxurious woven accoutrements were designed with a silver foil-wrapped silk ground with exquisitely rendered floral motifs in bright colors, as seen in these examples.
Marzcell von Nemes (born Mózes Klein, 1866-1930), Budapest, Munich, Venice, and Paris, by 1930;
Purchased at Nemes’ posthumous sale, Sammlung Marczell von Nemes: Textilien, Skulpturen, Kunstwewerbe, Munich, June 16, 1931, lot 269 Sammlung von 345 Stoffmustern, through Harold Woodbury Parsons, by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, MO, 1931 [1].
[1] Auction catalogue accessed online, September 4, 2019, https://digi.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/diglit/helbing1931_06_16bd2
Michele Valentine, "Collecting Textiles in the Late 19th and Early 20th Century International Art Market: Two Ongoing Provenance Case Studies from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art," Orientations 53, no. 3 (May/June 2022): 63-64, (repro.).
Information about a particular artwork or image, including provenance information,
is based upon historic information and may not be currently accurate or complete.
Research on artwork and images is an ongoing process, and the information about a
particular artwork or image may not reflect the most current information available to the Museum.
If you notice a mistake or have additional information about a particular artwork or image,
please e-mail provenance@nelson-atkins.org.
