An Ottoman voided silk velvet and metal-thread fragment, Turkey, probably Bursa, first half 17th century

Despite operating within a defined colour palette and range of ornaments, Ottoman weavers were able to achieve remarkable versality in their velvets through subtle variations in colour, combinations of ornaments, and scale. The arrangement of this panel is closely comparable to a panel in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (acc.no.17.22.9) which uses silver-thread to outline the motifs rather than the playful chartreuse green employed in this example. The striking contrast of the green against the rich crimson establishes a lively reciprocity between the bold carnation palmettes and the vine lattice.

The graphic aesthetic of Ottoman textiles lent itself to the production of arresting garments that were both favoured within the Ottoman empire and traded with other markets. The Muscovite court, in particular, had a taste for rich hues and designs with maximum visual impact which was easily fulfilled by Ottoman production (Atasoy et. al., 2001, p.180). This taste for Ottoman velvets is evidenced by the vast holdings of Ottoman textiles in the State Hermitage Museum, which includes an impressive surplice formed from a comparable velvet to the present lot (inv.no. Тур-368).