Wall Hanging or Cover
Turkey or Syria, 19th Century
Wool embroidery
284.5 x 174 cm (112 x 68 1/2 in)
Gail Martin Collection
This wall hanging, composed of five different-colored panels sewn together and decorated with architectural motifs, is a bit of a mystery. Its colors are partly synthetic, so it cannot be more than one hundred years old. The weaving of long narrow strips that are sewn together to make blankets and covers is a longstanding tradition in the Near East. This textile is similar to Turkish examples made of differently colored panels, sprinkled with small motifs woven into the fabric. This example, however, is quite different because the designs are embroidered, not woven. A possible source is Syria, where there is an ancient tradition of depicting architecture in this manner.
