Textile Panel thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Textile Panel

1730-1780 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Plain weave cotton embroidered with silk in surface darning on the diagonal and running and cross stitch and pulled thread work, backed with glazed cotton twill and with a border of brocaded silk and metal thread.

Two triangular pieces have been joined together to form a square:
[1] pulled thread ground overcast with pale silk to form a square mesh. The motifs are outlined in black squares. A red stepped lozenge is connected horizontally and vertically to a blue or brown triangle; inbetween are small yellow crosses. There is a narrow border with a red ground, and white crosses outlined in black linked by a light brown and yellow line.
Colour (Embroidery threads): black, red, yellow, light blue, light brown, greenish-brown.

[2] Same pulled thread ground. There are two main motifs: a yellow diamond with four light blue S- or Z-shapes along its sides, and squared-off diamonds divided into small segments. In between these two motifs is a diagonal dark blue rectangle with a yellow S- or Z-motif. There is a narrow border, with a yellow ground and fine black angular meander with red and light blue S- and Z-motifs.
Colour (Embroidery threads, 2S silk): dark blue, light blue, light pink, yellow, greenish-brown, light green, light brown, black.

The border is pieced blue silk brocaded with an almost boteh-like floral sprig in pink and green, with metal thread [tarnished silver strip open S-wound on a pink silk core]. The backing is green glazed cotton twill.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cotton yarn, silk thread, weaving, embroidering, pulled thread work, sewing
Brief description
Middle East, Textile; Textile panel, silk-embroidered cotton, formed of two joined triangular panels (possibly headscarves) with woven silk border, Azerbaijan or NW Iran, possibly 1730-1780
Physical description
Plain weave cotton embroidered with silk in surface darning on the diagonal and running and cross stitch and pulled thread work, backed with glazed cotton twill and with a border of brocaded silk and metal thread.

Two triangular pieces have been joined together to form a square:
[1] pulled thread ground overcast with pale silk to form a square mesh. The motifs are outlined in black squares. A red stepped lozenge is connected horizontally and vertically to a blue or brown triangle; inbetween are small yellow crosses. There is a narrow border with a red ground, and white crosses outlined in black linked by a light brown and yellow line.
Colour (Embroidery threads): black, red, yellow, light blue, light brown, greenish-brown.

[2] Same pulled thread ground. There are two main motifs: a yellow diamond with four light blue S- or Z-shapes along its sides, and squared-off diamonds divided into small segments. In between these two motifs is a diagonal dark blue rectangle with a yellow S- or Z-motif. There is a narrow border, with a yellow ground and fine black angular meander with red and light blue S- and Z-motifs.
Colour (Embroidery threads, 2S silk): dark blue, light blue, light pink, yellow, greenish-brown, light green, light brown, black.

The border is pieced blue silk brocaded with an almost boteh-like floral sprig in pink and green, with metal thread [tarnished silver strip open S-wound on a pink silk core]. The backing is green glazed cotton twill.
Dimensions
  • Height: 473mm
  • Width: 454mm
Style
Bibliographic reference
This embroidery belongs to Group 3 as defined by Jennifer Wearden, 'Azerbaijanian Embroideries: A Synthesis of Contrasts', Hali 59 (October 1991) pp. 102-111. Group 3 textiles are characterised by surface darning on the diagonal, usually in pale shades.
Collection
Accession number
296-1884

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Record createdMarch 11, 2008
Record URL
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