Napkin
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 | Linen, brocaded with cotton, and embroidered with silk in double darning on the diagonal, double running in a line and slanted satin stitch, and with plate in satin stitch and satin stitch filling in squares |
| Brief description | Towel or napkin, embroidered, Turkish, 1800s. |
| Physical description | Towel or Napkin, linen decorated with bands of brocaded lozenges in cotton, embroidered with silk in double darning on the diagonal, double running in a line and slanted satin stitch and with plate in satin stitch and satin stitch filling in squares. Each end has a woven band, then a band of warp threads (no weft) and then the weaving continues. There is one motif repeated three times along each border: a curved, almost circular stem of leaves (the two outer motifs have green leaves and the central one had blue leaves). Within the curved stem is a spray of three pink buds and a large pink flower with small green leaves. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by Mr Lionel Harris |
| Subjects 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. |
| Bibliographic reference | Illustrated in 'Ottoman Embroidery' by Marianne Ellis and Jennifer Wearden (V&A Publication, 2001); plate 116 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | CIRC.739-1923 |
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| Record created | February 1, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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