Description

This very fine Ottoman towel was embroidered  in Turkey around 1800. It is worked in silk and metal thread on a fine linen background.  The towel is complete, with the plain field folded under so the mounted textile mainly shows the embroidered ends. These consist of floral cartouches with delicately drawn variegated flower heads in a very soft red and pink, bordered by an elegant meandering border in the same colour scheme of soft reds and pinks  and light blues.

The field is very slightly stained, the embroidery itself is in excellent condition.

For further reading on Ottoman embroideries see Sumru Belger Krody’s excellent Flowers of Silk & Gold. Four Centuries of Ottoman Embroidery. Washington D.C., The Textile Museum, 2000.

£650