Embroideries and Samplers from Islamic Egypt
A selection of 10th to 16th century embroideries from the Newberry collection at the Ashmolean by Marianne Ellis (published Oxford, 2001).
Publications online: 66 objects
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Textile fragment with S-shapes and stylized leaves, possibly a trouser tie-belt
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Literature notes
Unfortunately only the decorated part of the textile has been preserved so we cannot tell how long the complete item was originally. It is one of the many embroidered fragments in the collection from the ends of girdles. It may have been used as a trouser tie-belt (tikka); in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Nluseum (London), there is an example of a linen embroidered one, still threaded through the waistband of a pair of child’s silk striped trousers (No.763-1898). Some such ends from girdles or tie-belts in the Newberry collection have just two bands of pattern, often worked in only one colour, but this one is more elaborate with its three bands, all with intricate little borders and lines of cross stitch worked in between using blue, crimson and green silk. The edges have been hemmed and then decorated with blue spaced cross stitches and lines of outline stitch. -
Details
- Associated place
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Near East (place of creation)
- Material and technique
- linen, embroidered with coloured silk; with hems in flax
- Dimensions
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23.5 x 6.5 cm (length x width)
12 / 12 threads/cm (thread count)
ground fabric 0.06 cm max. (thread diameter)
ground fabric 0.02 cm min. (thread diameter)
additional fibre, embroidery 0.07 cm (thread diameter)
- Material index
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organic › animal › animal product › silk,
- Technique index
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assembled › woven › plain woven,woven › plain woven,
- Object type index
- No. of items
- 1
- Credit line
- Presented by Professor Percy Newberry, 1941.
- Accession no.
- EA1984.243
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Further reading
Ellis, Marianne, Embroideries and Samplers from Islamic Egypt (Oxford: Ashmolean Museum, in association with Greenville: Curious Works Press, 2001), no. 15 on p. 28, illus. p. 28
Barnes, Ruth and Marianne Ellis, ‘The Newberry Collection of Islamic Embroideries’, 4 vols, 2001, Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, cat. vol. ii, illus. vol. i
Location
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- currently in research collection
Objects are sometimes moved to a different location. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis. Contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular object on display, or would like to arrange an appointment to see an object in our reserve collections.
Publications online
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Embroideries and Samplers from Islamic Egypt
Unfortunately only the decorated part of the textile has been preserved so we cannot tell how long the complete item was originally. It is one of the many embroidered fragments in the collection from the ends of girdles. It may have been used as a trouser tie-belt (tikka); in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Nluseum (London), there is an example of a linen embroidered one, still threaded through the waistband of a pair of child’s silk striped trousers (No.763-1898). Some such ends from girdles or tie-belts in the Newberry collection have just two bands of pattern, often worked in only one colour, but this one is more elaborate with its three bands, all with intricate little borders and lines of cross stitch worked in between using blue, crimson and green silk. The edges have been hemmed and then decorated with blue spaced cross stitches and lines of outline stitch. -
The Newberry Collection of Islamic Embroideries
Three parallel bands, the central one red with s-shapes and borders of single stylized leaves, the outer ones black with chevrons and leafborders. The three bands are separated by a single line of green cross stitch. Between the short ends and the brown bands are single lines of blue cross stitch. The entire textile has a blue and red border.
Stitched hems along both long sides.
Notice
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