Curtain from Algeria
The Textile Museum of Canada holds an embroidered curtain from Algeria. It dates to the nineteenth century and measures 188 x 50 cm. It is made of linen with purple-coloured silk embroidery. The embroidery was carried out on a wooden frame, using herringbone and satin stitches, and couching.
Kantha made by Srimirthi (Mrs.) Lokhibala Dashi
The Textile Museum of Canada holds a kantha embroidery from West Bengal in India. It was made by Srimirthi (Mrs.) Lokhibala Dashi sometime between 1920 and 1960. It measures 184 x 128 cm and is made of cotton. These kanthas were made of pieces of old clothing, sewn together, and embroidered with running and darning stitches, often with a lotus motif in the centre.
Indian choga with embroidery
Angarkha with Chikan Work
Surayia Rahman
Surayia Rahman (1932-2018) was an artist, designer and kantha-maker from Bangladesh who initially painted pictures and designed dolls, but later promoted the development of kanthas, traditionally made for private use, into an art form for public display. A documentary film about her life and work is entitled Threads: The Art and Life of Surayia Rahman, directed by Cathy Stevulak (first shown in 2016).
Georgian Times
The Textile Museum of Canada, Toronto, Canada, houses a modern, silken nakshi kantha embroidery, called Georgian Times. It measures 158 x 108 cm. It was designed by Surayia Rahman in Bangladesh, in 2003. It is illustrated with scenes showing British soldiers in contact with local men and women in India. It has been described as a representation of an idyllic time before independence and chaos.
Portrait of a Young Woman, by Pickenoy, 1632
The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, USA, holds a portrait of a young bride, painted by the Dutch master, Nicolaes Eliasz. Pickenoy (c. 1590 - 1654 or 1656). The portrait measures 118.7 x 91.1 cm, and is part of a pair, next to Pickenoy's portrait of the young bride's husband (see Getty Museum acc. no. 94.PB.1). The painting is dated to 1632. The bride was 21 years of age when painted.
Embroidery lesson, pre-revolutionary Russia
The J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, USA, holds a gelatin silver print from pre-revolutionary Russia, taken by Karl Karlovitz Bulla (1854? - 1929), showing an embroidery lesson. There is a teacher and two assistants, and the girls are working at different levels. The ones nearest to the teacher's desk are working on the more complicated items.
Embroidered Panel with Biblical Scenes, 17th century
The National Museums Scotland houses a seventeenth century panel embroidered with various scenes, including King Solomon welcoming the Queen of Sheba, and the Dream of Jacob.
