OTTOMAN EMBROIDERY

From the Frontier

AN UNKNOWN GROUP OF OTTOMAN EMBROIDERIES

GERARD PAQUIN

The arrival on the market of a new cluster of old embroideries raises many questions. They feature the artistic vocabulary of late 16th/early 17th century Ottoman court art, but differ from any known Anatolian products. Their uncertain origin, high artistry, and the fact that they are so familiar, yet so different, is a mystery. This article aims to initiate a dialogue that will lead to a better understanding of the group.

The group in question is a series of small textiles on plain yellow or cream silk ground fabric, with designs embroidered in a limited palette of red, blue and green silk yarn ( I -XII ). 1

Most are in yastıkformat, about 56 by 90 centimetres (1'10" x 3'), some are similar in size but of square format, and at least one larger format piece is known. Until recently, no examples had been published, 2 nor are any known to be in private or museum collections, 3

and textile experts seem to be unaware of the group or the circumstances of their production and use. However, it seems unlikely that the yastıksize pieces were intended as cushion faces, as they do not seem durable enough for such use. In addition, the design is worked on both sides, an uneconomical use of silk in a cushion cover. At first glance these textiles appear to be early Ottoman. The motifs are those present in a variety

I . Facing page: Holbein, Ottoman embroidered panel. Silk on silk, o.61 x 0.84m (2'0" x 2'9"). Private collection

II . Right: V-Stripes & Balls, Ottoman embroidered panel. Silk on silk, o.58 x 0.99m (1'11" x 3'3"). Private collection

1. Below left: Ottoman ‘Holbein’ variant carpet fragment (detail), central Anatolia, 15th-16th century. Mevlana Museum, Konya, 860, 861, 1033

StephenPetegorsky

HALI 144 I 59