Cotton towel embroidered with silk and metal thread, Ottoman territories, 19th century

A pair of towel or napkin borders which have been joined together. Cotton embroidered with silk in double darning and double running in a line, and with metal thread in fishbone and satin stitch and with plate in double darning and satin stitch.
One side has been cut and hemmed.
There is a narrow border along the upper and lower ends in which a group of three cypress trees alternate with a flower. Above this is a deeper border in which a small scene is repeated: there is a fine gold arch or niche around a circular motif edged with metal thread. this is embroidered with green silk but might be a pond or flower bed around which grow some branches and a blue weeping willow. To one side of this is a building with three levels, the lowest one is blue and the upper two are pink and the roof is domed. To the other side of the niche are pink blossoms.

Given by Miss Baxter

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.

T.208-1912