Embroidered textiles of this type have been collected for well over a century, however, little is known about them. They are often dated to the eighteenth century, but may in fact be considerably older. Examples from one subcategory closely copy designs of sixteenth-century Safavid court textiles, raising questions about the length of time it takes for court designs to circulate down through society and be used in the provinces. This panel demonstrates the embroiderer’s familiarity with carpet designs. The four curling horn motifs in the central rectangle are similar to so-called Perepedil designs seen in the Caucasian carpets. Another design element, the stars-and-bars in the four corner octagons, recalls analogous motifs in fifteenth-century Turkish and Persian carpets, as well as in slightly later Egyptian examples.

Panel
Caucasus
18th century or earlier
Cotton and silk; embroidery
Bruce and Olive Baganz
Photo by Don Tuttle Photography

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