One day I happened to walk down a street in downtown Portland called “The Pearl District”, a great area for shops, restaurants, and the famous bookstore, Powells. I was passing one of my favorite antique shops, not intending to go inside, but they were having a sale and some of their things were displayed outside. Being a little obsessed with textiles, I was drawn in by this purple, decorative piece above. I embraced it and eagerly entered the shop. “How much is it”? It was within my means. I recognized the piece. I had seen it in some of my books, but was not completely informed of its history. When I turned it over, it surprised me.
Here was a beautifully embroidered silk backed with a seemingly provincial cotton. I displayed the piece over a sofa for its colorful impact with the idea that this was a research item for the future. I loved the color, the incredible embroidery, and its exotic presence. Not too long after this encounter, I discovered a book by Susan Meller, Russian Textiles. I recognized her name from another book I have in my library. I purchased the book and starting reading. I was very surprised and pleased. This book will not disappoint for anyone interested in the knowledge and beautiful designs of these textiles.
The cloth on the back had been most likely produced in Russia in the city of Ivanovo, a place about 185 miles northeast of Moscow, according to Susan Meller. They designed and produced textiles for one hundred years from 1860-1960. These mostly floral prints were exported to Central Asia and used by the local people. Now I understood the incongruity of my initial perception. However, I was completely captivated.
Suzani is Persian for needle, but it is also synonymous with the glorious embroideries of Uzbekistan in Central Asia. The embroideries are done with silk threads with a Basma stitch, a couched stitch, and sometimes a chain stitch. It is a work to behold with much detail and time consuming effort.
Two months ago I discovered a new piece from Central Asia, perhaps Kazakhstan, a beautiful silk ikat in the same purple color.
I must credit Fortuny from an earlier post for a hunger to know more about other cultures non Western, to seek designs exotic and captivating. Now as much as I love the cloth from America and Europe, I am completely entranced with Eastern design and culture. The influence is immediate and surprisingly familiar.
suzani is one of my favorite styles, especially loving the density of the stitches. this style of stitching very much influenced my embroidery style. what a surprising backing on this. it is interesting to combine different ethnic textiles in one piece. i too have a soft spot for central asian textile .
The silk ikat has a very interesting design element. Is it a cathedral? The repetitiveness of does suggest something for a church, like an altar cloth.
I go on ebay and look at the textiles but not being able to touch keeps me from bidding.
Excuse typos, cat on lap! I should actually abbreviate it to : etcol. Sorry early morning humor.
These are beautiful pieces. I especially like the top one. The colors are beautiful.
Beautiful blue silk ikat-flowing like a river. What richness you have found in these pieces.
I love your imagery of the silk ikat. Thank you. What a treat to envision something new through someone eyes.
[...] I was reading Phyllis’ blog and found references to more beautiful textiles from Asia. I was not familiar with suzani embroidery [...]
What a fabulous piece of work. I got the Susan Meller book from the library and Wow!! I was so smitten with the fabrics she shows – lucky you to have a thing like that in your house, over your couch!
The fabrics in that book are amazing. I never realized there was a textile center near Moscow and how fascinating that they were used by these other cultures. It reminds me of how the Chinese embroidered piece I showed earlier was backed with that Western textile. Glad you got the book. It is a fun read.