Textile Panel thumbnail 1
Textile Panel thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Textile Panel

1750-1800 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Plain weave cotton embroidered with silk in surface darning on the diagonal and running stitch with a facing of woven silk and a backing of silk satin.
The central field has a yellow ground and is decorated with 5 complete rows of geometric motifs. Row [1] has an 8-pointed star in either dark blue with a red diamond in the centre or a red star with a green diamond. Brackets at the corners form an interrupted square around the star. This motif alternates with a white horizontal cartouche with a small vertical green cartouche, blue diamond and horizontal arch-shaped segments.
Row [2] has a light blue vertical cartouche like the cartouche in row [1] but in different colours alternating with a blue pointed square containing a light yellow star. Black lines from the corner of this pointed square join the corners of the dark blue or red stars. The border has a very pale grey ground with a lobed diamond in yellow alternating with a lobed cartouche in pink.
Facing: bias-cut dark blue silk with a fine light blue irregular check.
Backing: pieced; green satin.
Embroidery Thread: 2S silk; black [outlines], shades of red sometimes faded to pink, yellow, light blue, blue, dark blue, green, white, pale grey, greenish-beige, light brown.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
cotton yarn, silk thread, weaving, embroidering, sewing
Brief description
Middle East, Textile; Panel, silk-embroidered cotton, grid design of star-medallions and cartouches on yellow ground, Azerbaijan or NW Iran, 1750-1800
Physical description
Plain weave cotton embroidered with silk in surface darning on the diagonal and running stitch with a facing of woven silk and a backing of silk satin.
The central field has a yellow ground and is decorated with 5 complete rows of geometric motifs. Row [1] has an 8-pointed star in either dark blue with a red diamond in the centre or a red star with a green diamond. Brackets at the corners form an interrupted square around the star. This motif alternates with a white horizontal cartouche with a small vertical green cartouche, blue diamond and horizontal arch-shaped segments.
Row [2] has a light blue vertical cartouche like the cartouche in row [1] but in different colours alternating with a blue pointed square containing a light yellow star. Black lines from the corner of this pointed square join the corners of the dark blue or red stars. The border has a very pale grey ground with a lobed diamond in yellow alternating with a lobed cartouche in pink.
Facing: bias-cut dark blue silk with a fine light blue irregular check.
Backing: pieced; green satin.
Embroidery Thread: 2S silk; black [outlines], shades of red sometimes faded to pink, yellow, light blue, blue, dark blue, green, white, pale grey, greenish-beige, light brown.
Dimensions
  • Length: 89cm
  • Width: 85cm
Style
Bibliographic reference
This embroidery belongs to Group 3 as defined by Jennifer Wearden in 'Azerbaijanian Embroideries: A Synthesis of Contrasts' in Hali Issue 59, October 1991 pp.102-111. Group 3 textiles are characterised by surface darning on the diagonal and date from the middle of the 18th century into the early part of the 19th century.
Collection
Accession number
T.39-1940

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Record createdApril 30, 2008
Record URL
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