Motif · qalamdani

Pen-box stripe

قلمدانی

Narrow vertical stripes filled with small boteh and floral motifs, used on termeh.

Readings of this motif

  1. A trade layout name for termeh.

How to recognise it

Look for the Pen-box stripe as a repeated unit rather than a single image: its scale, density and the way it sits in a border or field often tell you more about workshop and region than the form alone. The same motif crosses weaving, metal, tile and painting, so a match is a starting point for comparison, never proof of origin.

Used in these crafts

Termeh

A patterned Iranian brocade woven with supplementary wefts, historically in silk and wool, associated above all with Yazd and Kerman.