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@mettextileconservation

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Behind the scenes of The Department of Textile Conservation at The Met

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Today marks the 5th Anniversary of the moment when @guinnessworldrecords Team announced me and my team OFFICIAL AMAZING for the title Largest Drawing by a Team. It currently features the front façade of @metmuseum in the most minutiae details as possible. It displayed as well as accentuated the effort that was put over a time period of 17 months during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Another feather in the cap was added to the Metropolitan Museum of Art when Guinness World Records Personalised the Guinness World Records 2027 for the official title The Largest Drawing by a Team. I dedicate this achievement to The Metropolitan Museum of Art and its staff members who endured the drastic circumstances that occurred during the pandemic.

When I came across the idea of celebrating the first ever Guinness World Record of mine through personalised GWR 2027, it simply sent me down the memory lane. Those 17 months gave me and my team the chance to experience the History and Arts in the field of architecture, for we attempted the Guinness World Record for title: THE LARGEST DRAWING BY A TEAM.

In January 2020, when COVID-19 was becoming a pandemic, an idea was in inception: Materializing something exceptional to commemorate the sesquicentennial anniversary of THE MET; for it is an incredible institution which needs no introduction. The planning, pasting of sheets, researching the available data, drawing the entire structure along with shading happened in a 7.5 meters square space whereas the size of this attempt is 673.45 meters square. IT WAS MADE PART BY PART.

However, we got stuck with the picture of two caryatids. Then finally came the help of EileenTravell, a brilliant photographer at The Metropolitan Museum of Art with the pictures of two caryatids which were not available in their entirety. She sent the pictures promptly and finally the realisation came true in form of The Largest Drawing by A Team. It was assembled in three days in Nandal Bhawan on 17June,2021.

Such massive realisation involved 2200 white sheets, over 700 pencils from grade 2H to 12B of Staedtler Mars Lumograph and the Charcoal pencils from Camlin. Then came the black Trimax Gel pe

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Dating to around 1400, The Met Cloisters’ Heroes are among the oldest surviving medieval tapestries in the world!

Woven entirely of wool, these hangings reimagine famous men from the distant past as ideal rulers, surrounded by lords, ladies, musicians and soldiers in a fairytale castle.

After nearly 75 years on continuous display at The Cloisters, the 600-year old “Julius Caesar” tapestry was deinstalled and transferred to the Department of Textile Conservation (@mettextileconservation). Upon thorough examination, it was determined that the tapestry required aqueous cleaning. This was followed by stabilizing and consolidating the weakened weave structure to ensure the tapestry’s long-term preservation.

Recently, the tapestry was reinstalled at the @metcloisters after a three-year long treatment by our dedicated textile conservators. It can now be appreciated, once again, by visitors.

🔗 Head to the link in bio to watch the full conservation story.
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🧵 Artist unknown. “Julius Caesar” (from the Heroes Tapestries), ca. 1400–1410. South Netherlandish. Wool warp, wool wefts. Gift of John D. Rockefeller Jr., 47.101.3. On view at The Met Cloisters in Gallery 18.

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A King’s Carpet: Louis XIV and the Savonnerie is the 1st ever exhibition about the Savonnerie in the United States, bringing together 17th-century royal carpets at The Met. The Savonnerie manufactory was France’s premier royal carpet workshop, and under Louis XIV its carpets became important expressions of royal power, prestige, and diplomacy.

📍 The Metropolitan Museum of Art
🗓️ Through March 5, 2028

#themetmuseum #themetropolitanmuseumofart #artmuseum #museums #nycmuseum

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I did not expect to walk into the Met and become emotionally invested in 17th-century carpets, but here we are.

The colors are still so vibrant, the details almost absurdly intricate, and being able to stand this close to them changes everything. I don’t think I’ve ever seen carpets this beautiful.

Louis XIV commissioned 92 for the Grande Galerie of the Louvre. The project took twenty years, but the carpets were never installed. By then, Versailles had become the king’s main obsession.

Four complete carpets and fragments are now on view in the Wrightsman Galleries, which feels like a pretty spectacular place for them to have landed.

📍 Wrightsman Galleries, 524–528
🗓️ September 8, 2026–March 5, 2028

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Roll out the carpet, literally!

In 1668, Louis XIV commissioned the Savonnerie manufactory to create a series of 92 monumental carpets for the Louvre’s Grande Galerie, one of the most ambitious textile projects of all time.

Now, for the first time in The Met’s history, three Savonnerie carpets from this extraordinary commission are on view together.

Hear @met_esda curator Wolf Burchard share how the “Music” carpet was installed in the galleries.

“A King’s Carpet: Louis XIV and the Savonnerie” is now on view in Galleries 524–528.

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SHAHNAMEH: AN EPIC IN EXILE — Upcoming Collection
📍Complete documentation of this folio—from embroidery details to the final framed work.

Kai Kavus and Rustam Embrace
Folio 123r from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Hand-embroidered interpretation by Tina Rouhandeh

In this episode from the Shahnama, Aulad leads Rustam to Kai Kavus and his companions, who have been captured and blinded. Kai Kavus embraces Rustam and urges him to seek out the White Div, whose blood can restore the sight of the Iranians.

The original folio, dating to ca. 1525–30, is attributed to the Iranian painter Qadimi and is held in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
@metmuseum
Through hand embroidery, Shahnameh: An Epic in Exile revisits this centuries-old visual narrative through a contemporary material language. Reconstructed stitch by stitch, the image becomes a meditation on cultural memory—how it is carried, transformed, and sustained across time, geography, and displacement.

Historical reference:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (@metmuseum)
Kai Kavus and Rustam Embrace, Folio 123r
Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Attributed to Qadimi, Iranian, ca. 1525–30
Department of Islamic Art

Wonderful framing by @bergeron.art.frame

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My latest mural was painted in a beautiful town Câmara de Lobos on Madeira.

Madeira is famous for its embroidery, a tradition deeply rooted in the island’s history and culture. While I was there, I visited the Museum of Embroidery and Handicrafts and had the opportunity to meet a wonderful group of local women who continue to practice this beautiful craft. The museum preserves pieces dating back more than 150 years, and learning about this tradition and seeing the patterns up close became an important part of the inspiration for my mural.

Inspired by the delicate floral motifs of Madeira embroidery, I decided to paint a large floral pattern across the long wall.

Instead of using the traditional white of the embroidery, I chose rusty palette. I wanted the mural to connect with the rusty technical elements hidden behind the wall, as well as with the dark mountain landscape surrounding the space. The white lace would have created too strong a contrast here, while I hope the warm copper tones bring a sense of calm and harmony to the surroundings.

I am incredibly grateful to Mr. Joše and the entire @teatrometaphora team for inviting me to be part of this project and for creating the opportunity to bring art into this space.

And a very special thank you to the local authorities for making this place available for art.

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SHAHNAMEH: AN EPIC IN EXILE
Complete exhibition forthcoming.
📍🏛️Kai Kavus and Rustam Embrace
Folio 123r, Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp
Hand-embroidered interpretation by Tina Rouhandeh

In this episode from Ferdowsi’s Shahnameh, Aulad leads Rustam to the captive Kai Kavus and his companions, who have been blinded. Kai Kavus embraces Rustam and sends him in search of the White Div, whose blood can restore their sight.
The original folio belongs to the celebrated Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp and is held in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Through hand embroidery, Shahnameh: An Epic in Exile reinterprets this centuries-old visual narrative through a contemporary material language. Reconstructed stitch by stitch, the work reflects on cultural memory, displacement, preservation, and continuity—and on how inherited histories are carried across time and place.

Historical reference
Kai Kavus and Rustam Embrace, Folio 123r, ca. 1525–30. Painting attributed to Qadimi. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. Public Domain.

Persian miniature · Shahnameh · Ferdowsi · Shah Tahmasp · Persian art · Iranian art · Persian manuscript · miniature painting · miniature embroidery · hand embroidery · contemporary embroidery · textile art · fiber art · cultural memory · material culture · heritage · art in exile · contemporary Iranian art · embroidery artist

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SHAHNAMEH: AN EPIC IN EXILE ( Upcoming Exhibition)
Reconstructing an image, stitch by stitch.
This album traces the making of my hand-embroidered interpretation of “Rustam Avenges His Own Impending Death,” Folio 472r from the Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp.
«دوختن رستم، شغاد را با تیر به درخت، از درون چاه و مرگ رستم»

Through embroidery, the historical image is translated from paper into thread. Line, colour, surface, and detail are gradually reconstructed through thousands of individual stitches, transforming the painted image into a tactile, material presence.

The process is one of close looking and sustained attention—a slow translation between image and textile, past and present. Rather than reproducing the original, the work considers how an inherited image can be carried forward through another material language.

Shahnameh: An Epic in Exile
Hand-embroidered interpretation by Tina Rouhandeh

Historical reference and source:
“Rustam Avenges His Own Impending Death,” Folio 472r from the Shahnama (Book of Kings) of Shah Tahmasp
Abu’l Qasim Firdausi
@metmuseum @mettextileconservation
@metrattitextilecenter @metislamicart @metmodern
Custom framing by @bergeron.art.frame

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Persian art, Iranian art, Shahnameh art, Shahnameh of Shah Tahmasp, Persian miniature art, Persian miniature painting, miniature embroidery, Persian embroidery art, hand embroidery, fine art embroidery, contemporary embroidery, textile art, contemporary textile art, fiber art, thread painting, hand stitching, embroidered painting, Persian manuscript art, Persian manuscript painting, Safavid art, Safavid manuscript, Persian visual culture, Iranian cultural heritage, Persian cultural heritage, cultural memory, material culture, heritage through art, contemporary Iranian art, contemporary Persian art, textile storytelling, embroidery process, historical narrative, museum art, museum collection, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Met, Shahnameh: An Epic in Exile

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A random assortment of recent joys. 📖☀️☕️🐾

Watching over New York Harbor from the lawn of Alice Austen house is one of my favorite views in the world. This cute couple had the right idea! Happy Pride 🏳️‍🌈

@aliceaustenhouse

Knicks in 5!! 💙🧡 NYC City Hall

Personally think this cutout does Jalen no justice but I love the spirit and intent!

The t-shirt of the summer!
Books+ Knicks = bliss

@booksaremagicbk

Selfie at The Ripped Bodice in Brooklyn while waiting in line to meet Annabel Monaghan for Dolly All The Time. 5 star romance!! Can’t wait to reread on audio!

Summer walks at Snug Harbor with Nellie 🐾❤️🌺

@snugharborccbg

Our State Senator!! ❤️🇺🇸 Making Staten Island very proud.

Snuck up to The Met to catch a glimpse of the Raphael exhibit before it ends this weekend.

Stunning! The Madonna and Child paintings are so beautiful….

@metmuseum

But the tapestries were definitely the showstoppers!

@mettextileconservation

True Joy: A discovery of lasagna 😂

One of my favorite events of the year— the Staten Island Multicultural Food Festival put on by the Staten Island Hate Crimes Task Force. #silove

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Resht embroidery, or Rashti-duzi, is an Iranian textile tradition associated with the city of Rasht, in the province of Gilan, northern Iran, near the Caspian Sea. Highly appreciated during the Qajar period, it is distinguished by a hybrid technique combining cut, applied or inlaid wool with polychrome silk embroidery, often worked in chain stitch.

Made on wool cloth, flannel or felt, these works feature dense decorative compositions of medallions, cartouches, floral scrolls, palmettes, boteh motifs, birds and trees of life. They could be used as hangings, wall panels, tent panels or ceremonial textiles.

Halfway between embroidery, appliqué and textile mosaic, Resht embroidery reveals the remarkable sophistication of Iranian textile arts.

#ReshtEmbroidery #RashtiDuzi #IranianTextiles #QajarArt #QajarTextiles #PersianTextiles #TextileArt #Embroidery #SilkEmbroidery #ChainStitch #AppliqueEmbroidery #TextileHistory #IslamicArt #PersianArt #DecorativeArts #TextileResearch #ArtHistory #LaTrameEtLaChaine

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Congratulations to my @metmuseum colleagues in the Ratti Center, Textile Conservation, Asian Art, and Islamic Art for another wonderful exhibition in the small but mighty Ratti Textile gallery! And shoutout to my dear friend Wafa Ghnaim who contributed research on the use of Ottoman Bindalli dresses like the one in the center case in Syria and Palestine. Already looking forward to the forthcoming installations in Gallery 599, and hoping that someday this space becomes a slightly-less-hidden gem.

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