The oldest Ottoman embroideries in the V&A date from the 16th and 17th centuries. They are either whole covers and wall hangings or fragments of them. They are decorated with large-scale, bold designs in red, blue, green and yellow, with some white and black. The oldest designs were based on the intersecting lines of a lattice which enclosed oval compartments filled with flowers. In this example you can only see the compartments. The undecorated ground forms the lattice.