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 from a scarf or girdle with leaves and chevrons
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Literature notes
The rolled hems at the sides of this strip of fine embroidered linen indicate that it is from a scarf or girdle, and its width measurement is approximately the same as the scarf/sampler No.21 [EA1984.489]. Repeating foliate S-shapes, exactly the same as the one worked on the sampler above No.35 [EA1984.502], form the pattern on one band, while on the other they are reversed to form foliate Z-shapes. An attractive design has been produced by arranging the motifs in counterchange fashion, that is, with the image arranged alternately in positive and negative form along the bands, and enclosing them with borders of geometric chevron pattern. -
Details
- Associated place
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Near East (place of creation)
- Date
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mid-13th century - early 14th century
Mamluk Period (1250 - 1517)
- Material and technique
- linen, embroidered with blue silk; with two rolled hems in flax
- Dimensions
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13.2 x 12.7 cm max. (length x width)
along length/width 28 / 22 threads/cm (thread count)
ground fabric 0.02 cm (thread diameter)
additional fibre, embroidery 0.08 cm (thread diameter)
- Material index
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organic › animal › animal product › silk,
- Technique index
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woven › plain woven,assembled › woven › plain woven,
- Object type index
- No. of items
- 1
- Credit line
- Presented by Professor Percy Newberry, 1941.
- Accession no.
- EA1993.152
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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. 36 on p. 54, pp. 9 & 55, illus. p. 54
Barnes, Ruth and Marianne Ellis, ‘The Newberry Collection of Islamic Embroideries’, 4 vols, 2001, Oxford, Ashmolean Museum, cat. p. 113 (vol. iv), illus. vol. iv p. 113
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
The rolled hems at the sides of this strip of fine embroidered linen indicate that it is from a scarf or girdle, and its width measurement is approximately the same as the scarf/sampler No.21 [EA1984.489]. Repeating foliate S-shapes, exactly the same as the one worked on the sampler above No.35 [EA1984.502], form the pattern on one band, while on the other they are reversed to form foliate Z-shapes. An attractive design has been produced by arranging the motifs in counterchange fashion, that is, with the image arranged alternately in positive and negative form along the bands, and enclosing them with borders of geometric chevron pattern. -
The Newberry Collection of Islamic Embroideries
Two bands of paired leaves between narrow chevron borders. The embroidery provides the background.
Notice
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