DepartmentTextiles-Middle East
Mafrash (woven storage bag)
NameTravel bag / bedding bag
Artist
Artist Not Recorded
CultureQashqa’i
Dateca. 1920
Place madeIran, Middle East or West Asia, Asia
Mediumwool, leather, sinew, metal
Dimensions9 × 16 1/2 × 36 5/8 in. (22.86 × 41.9101 × 93.0277 cm)
Credit LineGift of Marvin J. Hand Jr.
Object numberA.2024.2.8
Provenancedonor purchased these textiles from various sources (bazaars, rug dealers, etc.) in the 1970s while living in Iran
DescriptionBag composed of body and flaps in one piece with two sides. Weft faced plain weave with weft float brocade. Elaborate leather end handles. 4 leather straps with buckles to close the bag. Edges and seams covered in leather. Evidence of previous moth damage. Small repairs made where little tufts of yarn appear.In Qashqa’i communities, brides traditionally receive a pair of mafrash for her dowry. For an image of similar mafrash in use, see Tapper and Johnson, eds. The Nomadic Peoples of Iran (2002), p. 225.
Artist Not Recorded
1850s - 1910s
Wiji Sutikno
ca. 1800