A TALL VOIDED VELVET PANEL, ITALY OR TURKEY, 17TH CENTURY OR LATER |

cut pile velvet on silk and metal thread ground, with gold brocading and bouclé wefts, design featuring an ogival lattice with pomegranates emanating foliated palmettes, backed on silk, mounted with suspension hooks

Strong colours, some of the metal silver thread frayed particularly to edges where the textile has been cut and mounted on to a silk covered canvas, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present textile features the typical 'a Griccia' pattern, recognisable by its specific design comprising a continuous undulating trunk with pine-cone details and emanating foliate stems with acanthus leaves and floral details. Italian velvets represented the ultimate symbol of status and wealth at the Ottoman court and were thus exported throughout Europe and the Ottoman Empire to be used in home interiors and as fashionable garments and also copied locally. A ceremonial Kaftan in the Topkapi Palace Museum (inv. no.13/500), attributed to Sultan Mehmet IV (r.1648-87), demonstrates the popularity of this motif on a courtly level. In fact, most of the Kaftans still on display at the Topkapi Palace are made of Italian fabrics designed for Ottoman consumption. The pomegranate motif, with its connotations of wealth and abundance, would have been recognised by both Italian and Ottoman audiences. 

The design on this panel is almost identical to a carpet of blue velvet cloth of gold tissue made for Alessandro Ottaviano de' Medici (1535-1605) (Monnas 2012, pp.100-1, no.25). A comparable woven silk panel is in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, inv. no.81-1892. For similar Italian velvets made for the Ottoman palace circles please see Medicilerden Savoylara Floransa Saraylarında Osmanlı Görkemi, SSM, Istanbul, 2003, pp.172-3. Venezia e Istanbul in Epoca Ottomana, Electa, Venice, 2010, pp.222-3.