Measuring 27 x 29 cm, this embroidery from Afghanistan is composed of mostly satin stitch in silk thread. The continuous supplementary-weft technique makes this textile reversible and either face may be used as the front. Condition: Excellent, no stains, no flaws of any kind.

Measuring 38.5 x 86 cm, this cushion cover from Hazara District in Pakistan is in excellent condition. As the Hazara district is situated between Punjab and Swat, the embroidery of this area is stylistically very similar to that of the Swat Valley. However, these pieces are generally more complex in design and construction. On one face of this textile the space is stabilized by two central medallions set within an elaborate network of octagons, diamonds and ram's horns in perfect symmetry...

This cushion cover from Swat Valley measures 45 x 78.5 cm and is in excellent condition. Estimated age: mid to late 20th century. The dark red embroidery depicts the typical ram's horn pattern seen not only in Swati embroideries but also in other Central Asian textiles. This pattern is juxtaposed with the repeating diamond motif - a stylistic feature of Swat and Hazara embroideries - seen here in the white checkered borders done in filling stitch and Holbein stitch...

An Uzbek ikat-dyed silk ceremonial robe (chapan) from northern Afghanistan, quilted with cotton interlining. Condition is overall good, albeit with some minor staining. It is hand-sewn and densely embroidered along the front collar, bottom hem and wrist cuffs. The inside of the collar is lined with traditional Russian printed fabric. Estimated age: mid to late 20th century...

This is a bed decoration from northern Afghanistan made by Uzbeks of the Lakai tribe. Traditionally these textiles were placed between layers of bedding quilts at the back of the yurt. This segusha measures 72 x 80 x 115 cm when folded into a triangle, and the embroidery is silk thread on faded red cotton edged with silk fringes, combining satin stitch with long and short stitch...

This Uzbek suzani from northern Afghanistan dates to the mid 20th century or later and measures 76 x 99 cm including the fringes. The textile is hand-embroidered in silk thread in vivid colors on a green rayon ground with copper encrustations throughout, and edged on two sides with crocheted silk fringe. Couching stitch ("basma") is the embroidery technique. The textile is reversible and either face may be used as the front...

This small pouch from Hazara district in Pakistan measures 12 x 15.5 cm and is hand-embroidered in extremely fine satin stitch in silk thread. Its age is approximately early to mid 20th century. Condition is near excellent, two light stains on one face. As the Hazara district is situated between Punjab and Swat, the embroidery of this area is stylistically very similar to that of the Swat Valley.

This child's cap from Indus Kohistan, Pakistan is dated to the mid 20th century and measures 7 cm in diameter, 42 cm in circumference. Kohistan in Persian means "land of mountains" and has two distinct meanings in Pakistan. In Persian "koh" means "peak" and "istaan" means "land of". Kohistan is one of the most isolated and the most deprived districts, not only in Hazara Division but in the entire Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan...

A hand-embroidered Turkman Yomut nomad's skullcap from Herat dated to the early to mid 20th century. Exceptionally fine ladder stitch combined with satin stitch and couching in silk thread. Condition is very good, just some tiny stains. Diameter: 18 cm, circumference 48.5 (approx. 19 inches).

A pair of old Uzbek sleeve embroideries dated to the mid to late 20th century. They measure 14.5 x 36 cm combined together. Cross stitch in silk thread depicting geometric motifs on a cotton ground. Condition: Excellent.

A child's helmet (khohl) from Pakistan which is daily attire for both girls and boys of the villages in Kohistan. It measures 34 cm from the beaded tassel on the peaked crown to the forehead hem, and 102.5 cm from the tassle to the V-shaped bottom hem. The diameter of the cap is 27.5 cm. Satin stitch and petit point (half cross stitch) in silk thread on a black cotton ground, the helmet is embellished all over with white and red glass beads and buttons. Its condition is excellent with no flaws...

An antique Lakai Uzbek V-shaped panel (saye gosha/segusha) from northern Afghanistan, early to mid 20th century. The surface is embroidered in polychrome solar and volute motifs in silk thread on a faded red cotton ground, with a star medallion at the apex, edged with metallic couching and crocheted wool fringe. Each side measures 162.6 x 61 cm including the fringe. In very good condition, appropriate for its age and origin.

This lovely cap made by Uzbek women residing in northern Afghanistan measures 21 cm in diameter and 59.5 in circumference. Silk thread in satin stitch on a cotton muslin ground with silk and cotton ikat strips on the dome. Condition is excellent. Estimated age: mid 20th century.

This is a wedding shawl from Indus Kohistan in the province of Pakistan formerly known as NWFP (North-West Frontier Province). Comprised of two large rectangular panels which are densely embroidered in floss silk thread, it is embellished with colored sequins, brass mirrors and decorative metal trinkets, with corded and beaded tassels on the outer edges. The bottom panel is fringed with white and red glass beads...

An old Uzbek textile from northern Afghanistan, traditionally used in the yurt. Each side measures 26 x 40 cm including the wool fringe. It is in very good condition, appropriate for its age and origin. The embroidery is very fine cross stitch ("petit point") in silk thread. The reverse is lined in white cotton. Estimated age: mid to late 20th century. Condition is overall very good, just one minor stain (see first two photos).

A child's hat from Indus Kohistan, measuring 18 cm in diameter, 44 cm in circumference. The embroidery is extremely fine satin stitch and cross stitch. Kohistan means "Land of Mountains" and has two distinct meanings in Pakistan. In Persian "koh" means "peak" and "istaan" means "land of". In its usual modern sense, Kohistan District is an administrative district within Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province covering an area of 7,492 square kilometres...

A hand-embroidered Uzbek curtain from northern Afghanistan, mid to late 20th century. Silk floss thread on green cotton in long and short stitch, this textile is fully reversible and either side may be used as the face. It measures 84 x 105 cm including the silk fringe. The central rosette is enclosed by borders and surrounded by curved and sinuous patterns in vivid contrasting color. Condition is very good but with some slight fading and a few small dark stains in one corner.

Measuring 33 x 39 cm, this vintage Hazara child's vest from Afghanistan is from the 1960s. The embroidery is extremely fine straight stitch and long and short stitch in wool thread on a light brown linen ground, depicting geometric motifs in vibrant color. Condition: Excellent, no stains, no holes, no odors. The Hazara are the third largest ethnic group of Afghanistan. They are a Persian-speaking people who live mostly in central Afghanistan (Bamiyan and Ghazni provinces) and are overwhelmingly...

This Uzbek textile measures 8.2 cm x 52 cm, 8.2 cm x 89 cm with the string. Depicting rosettes in long and short stitch and cross stitch in silk thread on a black cotton ground, this Uzbek puttee dates from the mid 20th century and is in excellent condition. Puttees are a strip of cloth wound spirally around the leg from ankle to knee.

A pair of puttees from northern Afghanistan, hand-embroidered by Uzbek women. Each puttee measures 8.4 cm x 48 cm (3 1/4 x 19 inches)and is hand-embroidered in silk thread on a red cotton ground. The embroidery technique is long and short stitch, typical of Uzbek embroidery. Condition: excellent, no stains, no flaws of any kind. The puttee with the braided thread measures 48 cm x 47 cm.

An old Uzbek puttee dating from the 1950s or 1960s. Silk embroidery on an ivory linen ground, embroidered in long and short stitch, the trademark of Uzbek embroidery. Condition is very good, some staining on one side. It measures 8.3 cm x 58 cm (w/o string). The string measures 31 cm. Puttees are a strip of cloth wound spirally around the leg from the ankle to the knee.

The embroidery of Baluchistan is called "doch" and is unique in its intricate repetitive geometric patterns and colors. This woman's dress yoke from Baluchistan ("pashk kurta") features a repertoire of densely embroidered patterns in silk thread on a dark blue silk background. Extremely fine satin stitch combined with herringbone stitch in silk thread, some metallic, along with buttonhole stitching, depicting geometric motifs. The most intricate pushks are produced in Makran and other coastal ...

A child's cap from Indus Kohistan which is part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as NWFP). Some of the finest embroidery of this region comes from the area between Patan and Komila, where small settlements beside tributaries of the Indus produce embroidered costume and small bags worked in minute cross stitch and tent stitch. This cap with its beaded tassle is very typical of the region in its use of pompoms, buttons, white beading, and incredibly fine petit point stitch in silk thread. Con...

This woven textile is from Tibet. Measuring 21.8 x 376 cm, it is in excellent condition. The high lustre of the wool is attributed to the high lanolin content of the goat wool in the high altitude regions of the Tibetan plateau. Enlargement #12 shows the use of these sashes in traditional Tibetan nomadic culture (© 1995 East of Lo Manthang by Peter Matthiessen and Thomas Laird). These sashes are used to tie knives and bundles and more importantly, to secure the dress of the natives (chuba for w...

Freely executed floral motifs in vivid colors adorn this hand-embroidered napkin from southern Afghanistan. The embroidery technique is satin stitch in silk thread on a fine cotton linen ground. The composition overall is very nicely balanced, with an eight-petaled red flower at the center. This textile measures 41.5 x 43 cm and is in excellent condition.

Embroidered in satin stitch and Holbein stich in red, green and blue silk thread, this Pashtun napkin measures 21 x 22 cm and is dated to the early to mid 20th century. Condition is good overall given the age of this textile, though with a few light brown stains and some missing threads. The repetitive geometric design alternates the embroidered areas with others left unworked, leaving a surprisingly dynamic impression.

Embroidered in satin stitch in silk thread on a fine cotton linen ground, this napkin measures 37.2 x 37.8 cm and is estimated to date from the mid to late 20th century. Such textiles are unique to the Hazara, Shi'ite Muslims who comprise the third largest ethnic group of Afghanistan, forming about 19% of the total population and inhabiting mostly the central provinces of central Afghanistan. This textile is in excellent condition overall with only one small stain.

Varied repeating geometric patterns exquisitely embroidered in satin stitch in silk thread characterize this dress panel from Kandahar province, Afghanistan. Executed in a counted-thread technique in relief on a cotton linen background, the monochrome colors of the thread reflect the light in such a way as to confer a high degree of elegance to this textile which measures 17 x 148 cm and is fully reversible on each side. Condition is perfect, no stains, no holes, no odors. Estimated age: mid 20...

This is an old prayer cloth from central Afghanistan measuring 35.7 x 35.7 cm. The embroidery technique is satin stitch in silk thread intricately worked on a fine cotton linen ground. These cloths are unique to the Hazara and used to protect the prayer stone from Kerbala, Iraq, which is a holy city of pilgrimmage to the Hazara and other Shi'ite Muslims. The terra cotta prayer stones depict the mosque and minarets of Kerbala and are traditionally brought back by pilgrims to be used during praye...

In central Afghanistan where villages are commonly cut off from the rest of the world during the winter months, the time spent by Hazara women in embroidering textiles such as this one is considerable. Depicting eight-pointed stars and triangles densely embroidered in silk thread on a fine cotton linen cloth, this napkin measures 38 x 40.5 cm and is in excellent condition. Estimated age: mid to late 20th century.

The use of long and short stitch in this Hazara textile from central Afghanistan gives a more detailed surface that better reflects the light than satin stitch. Silk thread on a fine cotton ground, the overall design alternates densely embroidered areas with others left unworked. This napkin measures 32.5 x 34.8 cm and is in excellent condition. Estimated age: late 20th century. The continuous supplementary-weft technique makes this textile reversible and either face may be used as the front.

Measuring 14 x 17 cm, this tobacco pouch from Indus Kohistan is embroidered in extremely fine brick stitch, cross stitch and satin stitch in silk thread. The beaded tassled edges are typical of the embroidery of this remote region of Pakistan. Condition is excellent, estimated age mid to late 20th century.

This textile from central Afghanistan was made by Hazara women and depicts the severed hands and shrine of Hazrat Abbas, the half-brother of Hussein ibn Ali, during the battle of Kerbala in Iraq. The scene is embroidered in very fine cross stitch in rayon thread on a polyester background and measures 47 x 59 cm. Condition: Excellent. Estimated age: late 20th century. The inscription at the top reads "Turbah-i-Kerbala" in Dari ("soil of Kerbala"), referring to the holy and curative properties of ...

This is an old tobacco pouch from Indus Kohistan, a remote area of northern Pakistan located along the Indus river. Cotton embroidered with silk thread, depicting interlocking rhomboids on one face, repeating chevrons on the other, and embellished with beadwork on the edges. The embroidery technique is exceptionally fine brick stitch, closely paralleled in Hazara embroidery. The purse measures 18 x 18.5 cm and is in overall good condition, just some normal wear due to its age (early to mid 20th ...

Strong geometric shapes densely embroidered in satin stich in vibrant colors animate this Hazara textile from central Afghanistan which is estimated to date to the mid 20th century. Silk thread embroidered on a fine cotton linen ground, the patterns are artfully joined into a robust and dynamic unity. Embroidery is an important winter activity for Hazara women who inhabit mountainous central Afghanistan, including Bamiyan, Oruzgan and Ghazni provinces. The Hazara are Shi'ite Muslims who comprise...

Measuring 29.2 x 33.6 cm, this textile is from central Afghanistan, home of the minority Hazara people who are Shi'ite Muslims, inhabiting at least three or four provinces (Jaghori, Bamiyan, Orugzan, Wardak). The embroidery on this textile is exclusively silk herringbone stitch on an ivory cotton linen ground. The textile is in good condition overall with some mild staining. Estimated age: early to mid 20th century.