Ashmolean Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

The design of this embroidery suggests that it comes from the late 15th century Turcoman empire rather than Mamluk Egypt and Syria; at this period two Turcoman confederations controlled Eastern Anatolia, Northern Iraq and Western Iran. Its cruciform palmette and stylised lotus flowers show a Chinese influence characteristic of the 15th century. Its bright appearance is very different from other contemporary embroideries in the Newberry collection which generally have a very limited number of colours: here no less than six have been selected and arranged in small amounts, to give a jeweI-Iike appearance to the composition. Such use of colour is also found on 15th century Turcoman manuscripts.

The method of couching is similar to that seen on earlier 13th century embroidery from Egypt (Nos.45-48 [EA1984.76, EA1984.63, EA1993.99, EA1984.105]), but here the overcasting stitches are set very closely together to form defined ridged lines. The technique secured the underlying surface satin stitches so firmly that all the silk threads have remained intact. Looking at an embroidery from Safavid Iran in the collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, (No.1206-1905), it is interesting to see that the same method of couching forming ridged parallel lines was still in use some two hundred years later.

A cusped quatrefoil contains a central roundel and four buds on its petals. It has four trefoils around its edge.