Early nineteenth century suzani

Early 19th century suzani from Central Asia. Early 19th century suzani from Central Asia. Courtesy Cleveland Museum of Art, acc. no. 1916.1311.

A relatively early suzani wall hanging or bed cover, dated to the early nineteenth century, is housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio. It measures 217 x 189 cm. The cloth consists of separate pieces of ground material. The patterns were first drawn onto the cloth before being worked in chain stitch. Most suzanis are decorated with floral motifs; this piece is no exception. Overall, the embroidery on this suzani is remarkably dense.

See also the suzani hanging or bedspread from the mid-nineteenth century, now housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Cleveland Museum of Art online catalogue (retrieved 1st September 2017).

WV

Last modified on Sunday, 26 August 2018 11:33