Border
1800-1899 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
At the end of the 18th century embroidery designs began to develop into rigid and heavily stylised borders for towels and napkins. The colours of 18th and 19th century embroideries were originally very bright but many have faded to pleasing pastel shades; often great quantities of metal thread were used. Napkins were mainly used to clean fingers during meals, but were also used as decoration and as covers. Their designs were consistently inventive.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Cotton, embroidered with silk in double darning and double running in a line, and with metal thread in satin stitch |
| Brief description | towel or napkin border, embroidered, 1800s, Turkish |
| Physical description | Towel or Napkin border, cotton embroidered with silk in double darning and double running in a line and with metal thread in satin stitch. One side has been cut and hemmed. There is a narrow border along the lower edge with a floral meander with green leaves and pale and pink blossoms. Above this is a fine scrolling stem with leaves and buds which forms almost complete circles across the width. Each of these encloses one blossom: either a blue flower with a checked centre or a a round pink, segmented flower. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Subject depicted | |
| Summary | At the end of the 18th century embroidery designs began to develop into rigid and heavily stylised borders for towels and napkins. The colours of 18th and 19th century embroideries were originally very bright but many have faded to pleasing pastel shades; often great quantities of metal thread were used. Napkins were mainly used to clean fingers during meals, but were also used as decoration and as covers. Their designs were consistently inventive. |
| Associated object | |
| Bibliographic reference | Illustrated in 'Ottoman Embroidery' by Marianne Ellis and Jennifer Wearden (V&A Publications, 2001); plate 120 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.58-1912 |
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| Record created | January 18, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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