Prayer Mat
1850-1865 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Plain weave cotton, probably hand woven, embroidered with silk in straight stitches, needleweaving, pulled thread work and cutwork; whitework.
The central area in the form of a stepped mihrab niche has a small block of cut work and needlewoven decoration in each corner [in the form of small squares with an inner lozenge]. The niche, or arch, itself is outlined with a wide band of needleweaving [note the fact that needleweaving cannot be done on the diagonal], outlined with small triangles of straight stitch. From the apex a pendant rectangular form [mosque lamp?] repeating the decorative stitching.
The whole is framed by a composite band of: [a] row of tiny triangles of straight stitch
[b] a narrow band of needlewoven hexagons; [c] alternate rectangles of cutwork and needlwoven squares containing a lozenge infill and squares of straight stitch stepped lozenges; [d] as [b]; [e] as [a].
Cotton thread: Z-spun
Embroidery Thread: white silk; 2S
The central area in the form of a stepped mihrab niche has a small block of cut work and needlewoven decoration in each corner [in the form of small squares with an inner lozenge]. The niche, or arch, itself is outlined with a wide band of needleweaving [note the fact that needleweaving cannot be done on the diagonal], outlined with small triangles of straight stitch. From the apex a pendant rectangular form [mosque lamp?] repeating the decorative stitching.
The whole is framed by a composite band of: [a] row of tiny triangles of straight stitch
[b] a narrow band of needlewoven hexagons; [c] alternate rectangles of cutwork and needlwoven squares containing a lozenge infill and squares of straight stitch stepped lozenges; [d] as [b]; [e] as [a].
Cotton thread: Z-spun
Embroidery Thread: white silk; 2S
Object details
| Category | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | cotton yarn, silk thread, weaving, embroidering, whitework, cutwork. |
| Brief description | embroidered, 1800s, Persian; Whitework |
| Physical description | Plain weave cotton, probably hand woven, embroidered with silk in straight stitches, needleweaving, pulled thread work and cutwork; whitework. The central area in the form of a stepped mihrab niche has a small block of cut work and needlewoven decoration in each corner [in the form of small squares with an inner lozenge]. The niche, or arch, itself is outlined with a wide band of needleweaving [note the fact that needleweaving cannot be done on the diagonal], outlined with small triangles of straight stitch. From the apex a pendant rectangular form [mosque lamp?] repeating the decorative stitching. The whole is framed by a composite band of: [a] row of tiny triangles of straight stitch [b] a narrow band of needlewoven hexagons; [c] alternate rectangles of cutwork and needlwoven squares containing a lozenge infill and squares of straight stitch stepped lozenges; [d] as [b]; [e] as [a]. Cotton thread: Z-spun Embroidery Thread: white silk; 2S |
| Dimensions |
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| Production | Cutwork is not normally a technique used in Iranian embroidery and may have been introduced by Christian missionaries in their schoold for Christian children. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 2362-1876 |
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| Record created | June 10, 2008 |
| Record URL |
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