Not currently on display at the V&A

Border

1800-1875 (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 running variations and combinations and in musabak, and with metal thread in slanted satin stitch
Brief description
towel or napkin border, embroidered, 1800s, Turkish
Physical description
Towel/Napkin Border, cotton embroidered with silk in double running variations and combinations and in musabak and with metal thread in slanted satin stitch. The colours are predominantly light shades of pink and blue. There are tall, stylized pointed trees between trilobed arches, each enclosing three pink flowerhead and topped by a blue one.
Dimensions
  • Length: 36cm
  • Width: 48.5cm
Style
Subjects depicted
Association
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 Publications, 2001); plate 144
Collection
Accession number
681A-1877

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Record createdMarch 26, 2003
Record URL
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