Unknown Maker, Persian

This Persian-made fabric, created by printing with mordants and-resist dyeing, owes much to Indian patterning and printing techniques, which were imitated for centuries from Japan to the Americas. Acknowledgment must also be given to Persian artisans who developed a botanical design language that was embraced and cultivated by India’s Mughal rulers in their royal workshops in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The silhouette of this jacket, popular from the 17th through 19th centuries, represents a crossroads of influence: the sleeves which narrow to a point derive from coats worn by Central Asian horsemen, while the flanged hips draw from the expanded skirts of 17th and 18th-century European women’s dresses.

This jacket’s form, which would have been seen from the 17th through 19th centuries, represents a crossroads of influence: the sleeves that narrow to a point derive from coats worn by horsemen on the Asian steppes, while the flanged hips draw from the expanded skirts of 17th- and 18th-century European women’s dress. In addition, the design and technique of the Persian-made mordant and resist-dyed cotton fabric owe much credit to Indian patterning and printing techniques. This light summer jacket, which by the 18th century had largely replaced the longer outer robe in Persian dress, would have topped a hip-length undershirt and typical voluminous trousers.