Altar Curtain with the Ten Apostles and Two Evangelists Maker: Unknown

18th–19th century

Asian Art

By appointment, Wurtele Study Center

This printed altar cloth served the Armenian Christian community in the New Julfa district of Isfahan, in Iran. Placed under arches, the apostles are separated by stylized muqarnas columns. Two of the apostles, John and Matthew, were also evangelists and authors of the New Testament. The figure holding a feather in the center of the bottom row is most likely John, who is often associated with an eagle in Christian imagery.

Medium

Block-printed cotton

Dimensions

80 1/2 × 30 5/8 in. (204.5 × 77.8 cm)

Credit Line

Hobart and Edward Small Moore Memorial Collection, Gift of Mrs. William H. Moore

Accession Number

1937.5198

Geography

Iran, Owned in Julfa, Azerbaijan

Culture

Iranian/Persian, Azerbaijani

Period

Zand dynasty (1751–94), Qajar dynasty (1789–1925)

Classification

Textiles

Disclaimer

Note: This electronic record was created from historic documentation that does not necessarily reflect the Yale University Art Gallery’s complete or current knowledge about the object. Review and updating of records is ongoing.

Provenance
Arthur Upham Pope (1881–1969) and Phyllis Ackerman (1893–1977) Collection, 1936; Mrs. William H. Moore (1858–1955) New York; Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn.
Bibliography
  • Arthur Upham Pope and Phyllis Ackerman, Survey of Persian Art from Prehistoric Times to the Present, 6 vols. (London: Oxford University Press, 1938), 2155, vol. 3, pl. 1094C.
  • Kishwar Rizvi, "Islamic Art at the Yale University Art Gallery," Arts of Asia (March–April 2018): 105, fig. 22.
Object copyright
No Copyright - United States

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