Page 224 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent
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156. Seraser cushion cover, second half sixteenth century
(Washington, The Textile Museum, 1.65)
157. Catrna cover, late sixteenth century (The Art Institute of Chicago,
1949.300)
design with a radiating composition in the field and lappets at fabrics were not as carefully designed and executed, or that
each end served as the model for a mid-seventeenth-century the yastik was not produced in the palace workshops but was
embroidered cover. 91 made for public consumption or for export.
The more sumptuous yastiks were embroidered or made of One type of large velvet cover is constructed of two loom
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seraser. One of the rare seraser examples (156), woven with widths, each approximately 65 centimeters (25 /s inches)
pistachio-green silk, contains a central gold oval framed by a wide and about 170 to 180 centimeters (some 67 to 71
band of serrated leaves enclosing a symmetrical scroll with inches) long. Most of these pieces have overall patterns—
blossoms and rosebuds surrounding a central flower. Stems eight-petaled blossoms, fan-shaped carnations, or plane-tree
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bearing similar blossoms, carnations, and feathery leaves over- leaves —with a pseudo border defined by several thin lines
laid with sprays of flowers decorate the corners of the silver laid over the motifs. These cloths were either spread on the
field. Four complete and two half lappets filled with floral floor in small chambers that projected out from the walls and
sprays appear at one edge. The reddish-gold tone used in this were surrounded by windows, or were used as covers for
fabric was produced by gilded silver wound on orange silk. fairly large floor cushions.
This cover is one of a pair; its mate is in Warsaw. 92 One of these velvets is decorated with a series of concentric
The quality of weaving is not as refined as the serasers used balls flanked by a pair of incurving leaves (157). The pattern
for imperial kaftans (see 119), which suggests that upholstery consists of six horizontal rows placed on alternating axes. A
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