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 | Linen and silk, embroidered with silk |
| Brief description | Middle East, Textile; Towel or napkin woven with linen and silk and embroidered, Turkey, 1850-1855 |
| Physical description | Towel or napkin woven with a linen and silk striped warp and with silk weft, and embroidered with silk in double running stitch, variations and combinations, and in musabak stitch. The ground has a light brown and white stripe. There is a very narrow border at either end in which yellow and pink blossoms alternative along a green meander. Above this are four large motifs, each of a blue vase with a single yellow or pink flower and a curving spray of buds. |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Production | Made in the 'Turkish Archipelago', islands in the Aegean Sea which reverted to Greece |
| Subjects 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 130 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | 4175-1856 |
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| Record created | January 5, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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