This embroidered textile is a well-preserved example of late Ottoman Armenian domestic needlework, likely produced in the town of Marash (modern-day Kahramanmaraş, Turkey) at the turn of the 20th century.
The embroidery is executed in silk floss using satin and couching stitches across a black cotton ground. It features concentric floral medallions, stylized birds and serrated leaves in lively blues, greens, red, pink, purple, yellow and ivory. Notably, two guardian-like anthropomorphic figures occupy diagonally opposite corners, a rare and symbolic feature suggesting a talismanic function. The base fabric itself exhibits the characteristics of late 19th-century Ottoman workshop production that was woven on in strips on an early industrial loom with slight irregularities, consistent thread density, and a classic black tone.
Taken together, the textile’s materials, technique, symbolic iconography, and construction strongly indicate its origin within the rich Armenian embroidery traditions of Marash in the final decades of the Ottoman period. This was most likely produced in a domestic Armenian workshop prior to the forced displacement of local communities during the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
In very good condition with some light staining in some areas.
Size: 4’2" x 5’5" [127cm x 165cm]
Age: Turn of the 20th century (Pre 1915)
Origin: Eastern Anatolia
Type of Textile: Marash Embroidery
Material: Silk on cotton
Condition: Very good, some light staining
TX550
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