woven silk, 1800s, Persian; Flowers Description: Cover of woven silk and metal thread backed with roller printed cotton. Four vertical pieces of dress fabric sewn together to form a cover. Dark blue satin ground divided by metal thread serrated leaves into an ogival lattice. The metal thread has largely worn away. It is silver strip close S-wound on a yellow silk core. Each compartment contains an oval-shaped spray with a central rosette and with buds. Pale green silk can be seen but any other colour has faded. Where pairs of leaves join there is a small flower head. Where the textile has faded the yellow silk core for the metal thread is white. Backing: pieced; striped cotton, red and white. The red stripes have a white pattern of daisies and stems and leaves. The white stripes have an isolated motif of a pink rose with trails of small red and yellow flowers and green leaves.