Towel
1850-1855 (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 | Embroidered linen with silk, and metal thread |
| Brief description | Towel or sash of linen embroidered with silk, Turkey, 1850-1855 |
| Physical description | Towel or sash of linen embroidered with silk in double darning and double running in a line and with metal thread in satin stitch and double running in a line. The decoration at either end consists of three circular arrangements with a central star-like flower worked in metal thread surrounded by three curving sprays of leaves and pink and blue blossoms. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production | Made in the 'Turkish Archipelago', islands in the Aegean Sea which reverted to Greece |
| 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 Publications, 2001); plate 124 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 4168-1856 |
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| Record created | January 5, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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