A Mughal floral silk cut velvet, late Jahangir or early Shah Jahan period, 1620-1630, polychrome silk cut velvet on twill ground, 89cm. long x 16 cm. highProvenance:Private collection, ParisThe fluidity of movement, particularly in the treatment of leaves, is reminiscent of late Jahangiri style decoration, as seen for example in the coloured stone inlay of the tomb of I'timad al-Daula in Agra (1622-28).These velvets, usually consisting of four borders woven as one piece, were woven as yardage which would then have been cut into strips, along the grooves, to be used as borders to velvet floor spreads or blinds.Another similar velvet, drawn with less fluidity of design, is in the Musee Guimet in Paris (gift of Krishna Riboud A.E.D.T.A. no 1692).BibliographyWalker, D., Flowers Underfoot - Indian Carpets of the Mugahl Era, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1997, fig. 19ed. Riboud, K., In Quest of Themes and Skills - Asian Textiles, Marg 1989, Smart, E.S. & Gluckman, D. 'Cloth of Luxury: Velvet in Mughal India' no. 4, p. 39Please refer to department for condition report