Brocaded velvet cushion cover with crescents

This lustrous cushion cover is one of the earliest and highest quality examples that has survived. The vibrant field pattern displays large crescents inscribed with smaller crescents and elegant rosebuds on a leafy vine. The superimposed crescent pattern may be a version of the chintamani balls. Harmonious smaller crescents and roses decorate the six pointed lappet designs across each end that identify its function as a cover for a cushion on a divan, the equivalent of a Western sofa. The elegant yet lively quality of the drawing, velvet weave, and dense metal thread indicate that it was made near the height of Ottoman silk textile production in the middle of the 1500s.

Credit: Purchase from the J. H. Wade Fund