Middle East, Textile; Tunic or qamis, panels of cream cotton and red silk with silk embroidery, Zoroastrian, Iran, 1825-1875 Woman's tunic of plain weave cotton and plain weave silk embroidered with silk in straight stitches including stem, running and cross stitch, with tied-dyed cotton, faced with plain weave cotton and also with roller printed cotton. A series of straight and flared panels sewn on to a bodice, back and front, or on to the tubular sleeve inserts. The bodice, the straight sleeves set in at right angles with small triangular gussets and alternate skirt panels are of a mid-brown heavy cotton with alternate narrow and thicker white stripes, while the other skirt panels are of crimson red silk, except for the back skirt panel which is red tied-dyed cotton. The bodice has a front and back slit from neck to lower chest [base of shoulder blade] and these openings are faced with plain weave white cotton. A simple cotton cord tie closes the back neck slit. The sleeve cuffs and skirt hem are finished with a narrow line of appliqué [Van Dyke type of triangles] in black or crimson red and black twisted silk cord is sewn along the edges. The sleeve cuffs have simple embroidery - a line of running stitch in scarlet red silk followed by isolated V-shapes with a smaller inverted V in black silk cross stitch. The two side panels of crimson silk have a similar V-motif in blue and yellow on the hem, and in stem stitch a number of large tri-leafed sprays in black, yellow or green or blue, with two small confronting peacocks in blue or yellow with coloured details and an odd small bird in green or blue. Around each motif is a sparse row of white and blue embroidered dots. The front 2 panels of brown and white striped cotton are decorated with embroidery in various motifs including stylized plants outlined in black or red, a pair of confronting peacocks either side of a cypress tree with small birds around and two square forms with similar repeats; the predominant colours are red, yellow, crimson, black, green and highlights of white. The centre front panel of crimson silk in patterned with 5 rows of 4 cypress tree motifs with different infills, each with a flamed outline of white, green, blue, yellow, black with plant motifs near the hem and small bird motifs elsewhere. The centre back panel is crimson cotton with a tie-dyed pattern in yellow and green forming a series of dots and rectangles. The back 2 side panels of brown and white striped cotton have a series of isolated stylized flowering plants in red or black with yellow and white highlights. All the skirt panel seams are decorated with coloured stitching and or cord. On the reverse of the centre front and centre back panels the hem is reinforced with a narrow strip of roller printed cotton in white with a small floral pattern. Cotton Thread: brown and white Z-spun Silk Thread: 2Z = embroidery thread; the silk cords are 2S.