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Towel or napkin border

Towel or napkin border

  • Place of origin:

    Turkey (made)

  • Date:

    1800-1875 (made)

  • Artist/Maker:

    Unknown (production)

  • Materials and Techniques:

    Cotton, embroidered with silk in double running variations and combinations and in musabak, and with metal thread in slanted satin stitch

  • Museum number:

    681A-1877

  • Gallery location:

    In Storage

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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.

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.

Place of Origin

Turkey (made)

Date

1800-1875 (made)

Artist/maker

Unknown (production)

Materials and Techniques

Cotton, embroidered with silk in double running variations and combinations and in musabak, and with metal thread in slanted satin stitch

Dimensions

Length: 36 cm, Width: 48.5 cm

Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)

Illustrated in 'Ottoman Embroidery' by Marianne Ellis and Jennifer Wearden (V&A Publications, 2001); plate 144

Materials

Silk thread; Metal thread; Cotton yarn

Techniques

Weaving; Embroidering

Subjects depicted

Trees; Stylized flowers; Arches

Categories

Textiles; Embroidery

Collection code

T&F

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Qr_O77269
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