Cleveland Museum of Art

Wall Hanging

Date

1850–1899

Medium

Silk, cotton; plain weave, embroidery, tambour chain stitch

Culture

Uzbekistan, Bukhara or Shahr-i Sabz, 19th century

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Embroideries known as suzani , after the Persian and Tajik word for needle ( suzan ), feature bold floral and foliate motifs enriched with several shades of red and crimson silk thread. This example suggests a lush garden enriched with single flowering plants alternating with a bird’s-eye view of blossoms in a foliate diamond trellis. Either a skilled family member or a professional drew the pattern in black ink (still visible) on five loosely joined cotton cloths; female family members disassembled them for stitching and reassembled them upon completion. Suzanis were made in many towns, generally with distinctive artistic and technical characteristics.

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