The Collection

 

 

The Manouchehri Textile Collection currently consists of roughly 800 items which have been carefully collected over multiple decades. The textiles can be classified according to their various functions, age, weaving as well as their decorative technique.

 

Taking both these classifications as well as the essence of the collection into consideration, it can be safely said that it contains a complete set of samples displaying the art of textile production in Iran, as well as its relationship and influence on the textiles of geographically and culturally related countries.

 

When observed in terms of utility, the collection can be considered to provide a complete narrative of  the art of textile making in the last 300 years, at the very least: the collection is quite evenly distributed between clothing and decorative fabrics, with a heavier focus on textiles which served other specific anthropological or social functions.  The majority of the textiles stem from the Qajar era (late 18th - early 20th century), followed by Pahlavi-era textiles and contemporary samples. The collection does contain a small but valuable number of Safavid (early 16th - early 18th century) textiles.

 

The Manouchehri Collection, a result of the strategic acquisition of exquisite and representative samples of the art of textile weaving, is still growing. With the final placement of these masterpieces in the foreseeable future, the Manouchehri Textile Museum - MTM will grow into a rich and valuable home for related studies and research.