A LENGTH OF EMBROIDERED NAQSH-E ISFAHANI SHALWAR CUFF
Isfahan, Zand Iran, late 18th century

The cotton ground entirely worked in tent stitch embroidery, in blue silks of varying shades, in diagonal bands with repeating floral patterns, the lower third with fine vertical and horizontal borders to finish the trousering hem, mounted, glazed, and framed, the textile 69cm x 53cm, 92.5cm x 77cm including the frame.

Considered one of the most famous and striking forms of Persian embroidery, naqsh panels were prized for their unique design, harmony, durability, and versatility. Naqsh grew in popularity during the late 18th and 19th centuries and became also known in the West as Gilet Persan. These fabrics were usually characterised by diagonal bands and patterns of densely-worked stitching, a technique often employed for panels that were then sewn onto garments, like the lower legs of women’s voluminous trousers. The intricate and dense nature of the embroidery made the panels quite rigid, and hence long-lasting. Once the rest of the garment was worn out, these prized embroideries were removed and sewn onto new garments. In later years, the diagonal patterns were reproduced in printed fabrics that became particularly popular within the Zoroastrian community in Iran.