Several fragments of one cover have been sewn together to form this piece. The diagonal bands of open work were created by drawing together groups of threads in the ground fabric and holding them in place with a single stitch of white silk. The drawnwork in this piece and the adjacent cover may indicate an earlier date of manufacture or a regional design variation.These large embroideries, known as suzani, were made by girls in the oasis towns of Central Asia as part of their dowries. They were used as wall hangings or bed covers. The particular form of couching stitch used in many of these embroideries is often called Bukhara couching.
Despite the specific identification of the suzani motifs and stitches with Uzbekistan, foreign influences and adaptations are quite visible here when compared with the pieces from Persia and China. Stretching from one end of the Silk Road to the other, the continuity of lattice patterning with leaf and rosette motifs is striking, even as scale and color variations tie these textiles to the specific localities in which they were made.Many of these covers from the Southern Caucasus and northwest Iran have been lovingly repaired with great skill. It is likely that the black and dark-blue areas in this embroidery replaced worn or stained parts of the original work.Legacy of the Silk RoadA central field containing hooked medallions surrounded by a stylized floral border is typical of designs found in both pile carpets and flatweaves in the Caucasus region. It is possible that embroideries such as this provided design inspiration for carpets from the area.The vertical and horizontal alignment of the repeated star and lozenge shapes, together with the dark and light color choices, creates a complex geometry in this cover that allows the pattern to be read in both the positive and negative.February 17 - May 28, 2006A heavily embroidered suzani such as this one might well have taken over two years to make. With such an investment of time and energy, it should not surprise that the embroiderer used a colorful warp ikat textile as the facing for this piece, another valuable cloth made in the urban centers of Central Asia as a collaborative effort by craftsmen of different religions and cultures. An added layer of cross-cultural exchange can be found in the Russian printed cotton that lines the back of this and many other suzanis.The layout of this piece indicates that it was made in the Nurata region of Uzbekistan. Although it shares with other suzanis the bold, rounded floral motifs and characteristic Bukhara couching stitch, the foliate arrangements reaching inward from the corners distinguish this type as a Nurata creation and reference the Indo-Persian influence of flowering buta (a basic paisley element). Note also the inked guidelines, likely drawn by a professional designer, now visible in some areas of the cotton.The pattern and format in each of these pieces relate to those seen in tiles made under Safavid rule in Iran. In fact, the smaller cover here might be seen as a blown-up version of one of the "tiles" arranged in a grid-like structure in the larger piece. Both tile and textile in these manifestations serve as displays of an endless repeat, and thus are understood by some as symbolizing eternity.Embroideries of this type have only recently begun to be studied and researched. It is currently thought that they were made during the 17th and 18th centuries in the
Azerbaijani regions of the southern Caucasus and northwestern Iran.
The colors used are similar to 17th and 18th-century Turkish embroideries, while the patterns are common to many aspects of Islamic art, including some types of Persian rugs.Areas of the ground fabric in this cover were originally embroidered with black silk to create a triple-diamond pattern. This pattern element has disappeared in many areas, however, and a later hand has added black embroidery without understanding or trying to maintain the original design.
ecrm:P3_has_note
The pattern and format in each of these pieces relate to those seen in tiles made under Safavid rule in Iran. In fact, the smaller cover here might be seen as a blown-up version of one of the "tiles" arranged in a grid-like structure in the larger piece. Both tile and textile in these manifestations serve as displays of an endless repeat, and thus are understood by some as symbolizing eternity.A central field containing hooked medallions surrounded by a stylized floral border is typical of designs found in both pile carpets and flatweaves in the Caucasus region. It is possible that embroideries such as this provided design inspiration for carpets from the area.The layout of this piece indicates that it was made in the Nurata region of Uzbekistan. Although it shares with other suzanis the bold, rounded floral motifs and characteristic Bukhara couching stitch, the foliate arrangements reaching inward from the corners distinguish this type as a Nurata creation and reference the Indo-Persian influence of flowering buta (a basic paisley element). Note also the inked guidelines, likely drawn by a professional designer, now visible in some areas of the cotton.A heavily embroidered suzani such as this one might well have taken over two years to make. With such an investment of time and energy, it should not surprise that the embroiderer used a colorful warp ikat textile as the facing for this piece, another valuable cloth made in the urban centers of Central Asia as a collaborative effort by craftsmen of different religions and cultures. An added layer of cross-cultural exchange can be found in the Russian printed cotton that lines the back of this and many other suzanis.The vertical and horizontal alignment of the repeated star and lozenge shapes, together with the dark and light color choices, creates a complex geometry in this cover that allows the pattern to be read in both the positive and negative.These large embroideries, known as suzani, were made by girls in the oasis towns of Central Asia as part of their dowries. They were used as wall hangings or bed covers. The particular form of couching stitch used in many of these embroideries is often called Bukhara couching.
Despite the specific identification of the suzani motifs and stitches with Uzbekistan, foreign influences and adaptations are quite visible here when compared with the pieces from Persia and China. Stretching from one end of the Silk Road to the other, the continuity of lattice patterning with leaf and rosette motifs is striking, even as scale and color variations tie these textiles to the specific localities in which they were made.Legacy of the Silk RoadSeveral fragments of one cover have been sewn together to form this piece. The diagonal bands of open work were created by drawing together groups of threads in the ground fabric and holding them in place with a single stitch of white silk. The drawnwork in this piece and the adjacent cover may indicate an earlier date of manufacture or a regional design variation.Many of these covers from the Southern Caucasus and northwest Iran have been lovingly repaired with great skill. It is likely that the black and dark-blue areas in this embroidery replaced worn or stained parts of the original work.Embroideries of this type have only recently begun to be studied and researched. It is currently thought that they were made during the 17th and 18th centuries in the
Azerbaijani regions of the southern Caucasus and northwestern Iran.
The colors used are similar to 17th and 18th-century Turkish embroideries, while the patterns are common to many aspects of Islamic art, including some types of Persian rugs.February 17 - May 28, 2006Areas of the ground fabric in this cover were originally embroidered with black silk to create a triple-diamond pattern. This pattern element has disappeared in many areas, however, and a later hand has added black embroidery without understanding or trying to maintain the original design.