Fashioning an Empire: Textiles from Safavid Iran

Magnificent examples of Safavid silks and their impact on 17th-century economy and society

With their sumptuous surfaces, original designs and technical sophistication, luxury textiles played a critical role in the social, cultural, religious and economic life of Safavid Iran (1501-1722). Used for clothing, furnishing and even architecture, fabrics also functioned as important symbols of power and as ubiquitous forms of artistic expression. In the 17th century, they became the most lucrative...