Fragment of Silk Taffeta with “Rose and Nightingale” Motif 1700s Iran, Safavid period (1501–1722) Silk and metallic thread: taffeta, brocaded Overall: 38.1 x 40.6 cm (15 x 16 in.); Mounted: 48.3 x 50.8 cm (19 x 20 in.) Gift of Mrs. Fred R. White 1943.91 DESCRIPTION A luxurious textile like this would have been used for courtly robes or coats in Safavid Iran. The bird-and-flower motif is known as gul-u-bulbul in Persian, meaning “rose and nightingale.” The motif references the poetic image of a nightingale plaintively singing to an indifferent rose as a metaphor for unrequited human love as well as the soul’s desire for mystical union with the divine. EXHIBITION HISTORY Arts of Iran (Islamic art rotation). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 30, 2018-October 28, 2019).