Napkin
1830-1870 (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 | Cotton, embroidered with silk in double darning, double running in a line and musabak stitch, with metal thread in satin stitch and double darning on the diagonal, and with plate in satin stitch filling in squares |
| Brief description | Towel or napkin, embroidered, Turkish, 1800s. |
| Physical description | Towel/Napkin, cotton embroidered with silk in double darning, double running in a line and musabak stitch, and metal thread in satin stitch and double darning on the diagonal (spaced, and with plate in satin stitch filling in squares. The narrow border along either end has a horizontal line of metal thread above which are flowers in shaades of pink between clumps of three small cypress trees. The main border has a series of lobed compartments outlined with metal thread. Inside each is a striped blue bowl with green leaves, a large pink blossom and two pairs of other blossoms, also in pink. There are blue stripes towards the top of each compartment and between the compartments are sprays of small pink flowers. One side has been cut and hemmed |
| Dimensions |
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| Style | |
| Credit line | Given by Mrs E. M. Hughes |
| 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 Publication, 2001); plate 93 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | T.217-1958 |
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| Record created | March 13, 2001 |
| Record URL |
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