Persian Textiles in the Ottoman Empire: Evidence from Greek Sacristies. Issue 2 (3rd July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Vryzidis, Nikolaos
• Is Part Of: Iran. Volume 56:Issue 2(2018)
• Page Start: 228
• Page End: 236
• Publication Date: 2018-07-03
• Subjects: Persian textiles -- Persian art in the Ottoman Empire -- Persian textiles in Christian environment -- cross-cultural studies -- Greek vestments; Iran -- Antiquities -- Periodicals; Iran -- Civilization -- Periodicals; 955.005
• DOI: 10.1080/05786967.2017.1380258
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0578-6967

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Numerous examples of Persian textiles, ranging from Safavid to late Qajar, survive in Greek sacristies. Used by the Greek Church, these silks provide an overview on the consumption of Persian silks in the Ottoman Empire, especially in Greece and Anatolia. Although quite distinct from an Ottoman aesthetic, Persian silks seem to have been quite popular among Greek clerics for the making of vestments and ecclesiastical veils. While Greek Orthodox material culture was largely determined by the Church's intermediary role as partner of the Ottoman bureaucracy, these traces of the Persian textile trade probably imply that the popularity of foreign silks in the Ottoman Empire was greater than initially thought.