Lot Essay
Traditionally, suzani (meaning "of the needle") embroideries were made for a woman's dowry by the bride and her female relatives to be used as the nuptial bedcloth and as other household furnishings. A design was drawn onto a cloth, then divided into vertical strips, usually between three and five, parceled out to embroiderers to be worked on individually employing a variety of stitches and then later rejoined as a complete and finished work of art. A plethora of designs were embroidered showing regional differences, as can be seen by the lots offered here, from the bold simplicity of Tashent pieces (lots 32 and 33) to the graceful drawing of the Nurata (lot 35). However, one group stands apart, that of the large medallion.
It has almost been twenty years since Michael Franses and Robert Pinner wrote their pivotal article in Hali magazine (vol. 1, no. 2, pp.128-33) about the large medallion suzani group and the eight known examples. Currently, there seems to be over thirty known examples, with unpublished examples, such as the present lot, appearing upon occassion. Regardless, they still remain a very rare group coveted by collectors. The large medallion example offered here is most similar to a suzani published in Franses and Pinner's seminal article in a private collection in Munster (Ibid, p. 128, no. 3). Both have large hexagonal medallions with four corner discs which seem to almost burst out of the narrow connected diamond frame.
Like most large medallion suzanis in this group, there is a wonderful play of jagged and curled forms, one next to the other in hot and cold colors. For example, the black spiral tendril surrounding the medallion has on either side a cobalt blue trefoil leaf form and a cobalt jagged serrated form. The same play occurs in the spokes within the medallion where jagged forms lay against flat blocks of color. It is also interesting to notice how each rosette in the corners are quite similar and in unison, yet at closer look, each is treated differently.
Two other similar large hexagonal medallion suzani were offered at Rippon Boswell (November 16, 1991, lot 127) and at Sotheby's New York (April 13, 1995, lot 47). Although at quick glance these seem quite similar and in many respects are, there are also subtle differences. Our suzani displays intense, consistent and harmonious coloration throughout. For example, our suzani successfully uses a black spiral tendril to outline most features, including the hexagonal medallion as well as the secondary and tertiary elements, while the other two suzanis use a camel color. It is obvious when looking at these closely, that the women who were creating these were working from a given design, but they were also able to use their embroidery acumen to embellish and create individual pieces of needlework.
It has almost been twenty years since Michael Franses and Robert Pinner wrote their pivotal article in Hali magazine (vol. 1, no. 2, pp.128-33) about the large medallion suzani group and the eight known examples. Currently, there seems to be over thirty known examples, with unpublished examples, such as the present lot, appearing upon occassion. Regardless, they still remain a very rare group coveted by collectors. The large medallion example offered here is most similar to a suzani published in Franses and Pinner's seminal article in a private collection in Munster (Ibid, p. 128, no. 3). Both have large hexagonal medallions with four corner discs which seem to almost burst out of the narrow connected diamond frame.
Like most large medallion suzanis in this group, there is a wonderful play of jagged and curled forms, one next to the other in hot and cold colors. For example, the black spiral tendril surrounding the medallion has on either side a cobalt blue trefoil leaf form and a cobalt jagged serrated form. The same play occurs in the spokes within the medallion where jagged forms lay against flat blocks of color. It is also interesting to notice how each rosette in the corners are quite similar and in unison, yet at closer look, each is treated differently.
Two other similar large hexagonal medallion suzani were offered at Rippon Boswell (November 16, 1991, lot 127) and at Sotheby's New York (April 13, 1995, lot 47). Although at quick glance these seem quite similar and in many respects are, there are also subtle differences. Our suzani displays intense, consistent and harmonious coloration throughout. For example, our suzani successfully uses a black spiral tendril to outline most features, including the hexagonal medallion as well as the secondary and tertiary elements, while the other two suzanis use a camel color. It is obvious when looking at these closely, that the women who were creating these were working from a given design, but they were also able to use their embroidery acumen to embellish and create individual pieces of needlework.