Masterpieces of Persian Textiles from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts Collection

The aim of this article is to introduce a fine and representative, but little-known, collection of Persian woven fabrics in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. These superb specimens reflect both the chronological and technical range of textile production in Islamic Iran, from the provocative fabrics found at Rayy to the myriad of sumptuous weavings produced on Safavid looms. The greatest number of these textiles entered the Museum's collection through the active efforts of a single person, F. Cleveland Morgan. A pioneering and avid collector, true connoisseur and art lover, Morgan founded the Museum's Decorative Arts department in 1917 and, during his fifty years’ association with the Museum, many objects found their way into the Montreal collection. Not only did he himself contribute many objects to develop then little appreciated fields, such as Islamic art, but he also encouraged other donors and advised potential patrons to follow his example. In a final act of generosity, Morgan bequeathed his own collection to the Museum, thus further enriching the department which he himself had created

Applied arts · Archaeology · Art · Art history · Fine art · Generosity · Islam · Islamic Art · Persian · Political science · The arts · Visual arts · Architecture · Eurasian Exchange Networks · Historical and Architectural Studies · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Philosophy

• Masterpieces of Persian Art

  Open Access•W H Riddell•Antiquity•1946

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