Early silk embroidery, 18th century, Victoria & Albert Museum

Place of origin: Azerbaijan (made)
Date: 1730-1780 (made)

Materials and Techniques: cotton yarn, silk thread, weaving, embroidering, pulled thread work, sewing.
Museum number: 296-1884
Gallery location: In store

Physical description
Plain weave cotton embroidered with silk in surface darning on the diagonal and running and cross stitch and pulled thread work, backed with glazed cotton twill and with a border of brocaded silk and metal thread. Two triangular pieces joined together to form a square.

[1] pulled thread ground overcast with pale silk to form a square mesh. The motifs are outlined in black squares. A red stepped lozenge connected horizontally and vertically to a blue or brown triangle. In between are small yellow crosses. There is a narrow border with a red ground with white crosses outlined in black linked by a light brown and yellow line.
Embroidery threads: black, red, yellow, light blue, light brown, greenish-brown.

[2] Same pulled thread ground. Two main motifs: yellow diamond with 4 light blue S- or Z-shapes along its sides and squared-off diamonds divided into small segments. In between these 2 motifs is a diagonal dark blue rectangle with a yellow S- or Z-motif. There is a narrow border with a yellow ground with fine black angular meander with red and light blue S- and Z-motifs.

Embroidery threads: 2S silk; dark blue, light blue, light pink, yellow, greenish-brown, light green, light brown, black.
Border: pieced; blue silk brocaded with an almost boteh like floral sprig in pink and green with metal thread [tarnished silver strip open S-wound on pink silk core].

Backing: green glazed cotton twill.
Museum number 296-1884
URL: http://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O147161/cover/