OTTOMAN TURKEY, 17TH CENTURY

Embroideries of this type were generally woven in the home for a range of functions, ranging from towels and napkins to underwear and turban covers (Marianne Ellis and Jennifer Wearden, Ottoman Embroidery, London, 2001, p.14). While earlier examples generally see motifs organised by lattices or ascending vines, by the seventeenth century motifs were grouped into repeat medallions as can be seen on the present lot. Frequently the designs were inspired by courtly arts, imitating the velvets and pile textiles which were being woven in imperial workshops. The cintimani on the present lot, for example, are also seen on silk kaftans and Selendi ‘bird’ carpets. Trios of red and yellow cintimani, as well as feathery blue leaves, are also present on an embroidery in the Victoria and Albert Museum (Circ.92-1953).