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, embroidered with silk in double running variations and combinations, and with plate in slanted satin stitch and counted satin stitch blocks |
| Brief description | Towel or napkin, embroidered, Turkish, 1800s. |
| Physical description | Towel/Napkin, linen embroidered with silk in double running variations and combinations and with plate in slanted satin stitch and counted satin stitch blocks. The narrow border of a black angular meander with lozenge shaped blossoms coloured in pairs red or purple extends around all four sides. The main border is a series of individual sprigs: a think black stem or trunk from which grow three pine cone shapes (in red and purple) and three light brown cross-shaped motifs. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by Prof. R. M. Dawkins |
| 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. |
| Bibliographic reference | Illustrated in 'Ottoman Embroidery' by Marianne Ellis and Jennifer Wearden (V&A Publication, 2001); plate 132 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.523-1950 |
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| Record created | March 13, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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