A striking chapan from the late nineteenth – early 20 th century that with its bold geometric pattern and colour palette has an almost contemporary graphic look.
Against the deep red, burgundy ground, the large circular medallions are set in alternating cream/white and golden-yellow. Each medallion contains a dark cross or plus-sign motif in the centre. The design is in an almost grid-like pattern rather than the flowing forms more characteristic of Bukhara chapans.
 It’s difficult to know how much the designer had in mind symbolic rather than aesthetic motifs. But the circular forms could represent celestial bodies – the sun or moon – or mirrors believed to reflect away evil from the wearer. The crosses in the center are often taken to reflect the four-part paradise garden of Islamic mythology.
But certainly, the design seems to reflect a man’s robe.