Catalog: Vintage Arts: Regional Art: Asian: Central Asian: Textiles (217)

This child's hat from the remote valleys of Indus Kohistan measures 15 cm in diameter and 45 cm in circumference. Embroidered in an extremely fine tent stitch (petit point) and ladder stitch in acrylic thread, it features a beaded tassel and a horned amulet made of the teeth of a musk deer, believed to repel evil spirits. The hat is estimated to date to the mid or late 20th century and is in excellent condition.

This dress yoke from Bamiyan province measures 34.5 x 41 cm and is embroidered in fine cross stitch in pink, yellow, green and purple silk thread. Traditional Afghan dresses have a yoke under the neckline from which long panels of fabric flow. Sleeves are typically wide, and they wear matching cuffed pants underneath. The garments are decorated with embroidery at the yoke, the bottom of the sleeves, and the cuff of the pants. When a garment wears out they remove the embroidered areas and re-use them in a new piece so that their progeny may share some of the original outfit. Condition: Excellent. Estimated age: mid to late 20th century.

This little girl's chemise was made by Uzbek women and measures 45 cm across the shoulders, 49 cm from the top to the bottom hem. Silk ikat combined with jajim and silk thread embroidered in long and short stitch. Condition is excellent.

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.

The kilims from around Almar, a village near Maimana, are tightly woven and feature large central medallions with hooked motifs. This hand knotted kilim measures 96.5 x 124.5 cm and is in excellent condition. It dates to the late 20th century and is made of sheep's wool. The palette is subdued as is typical of the kilims from this area of Afghanistan. This kilim was made of vegetable dyes.

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.

This pair of embroidered squares were made by Pashtun nomad tribeswomen of Hazarajat. They dazzle the eye with their vibrant colors and mirrored discs ("gul-i-peron") which enliven the quadrants of each textile. Each square measures 24.5 x 24.5 cm and is embroidered in silk thread on a green silk background, depicting radiating solar motifs in a carefully composed symmetry. A meticulously worked ladder stitch forms the whorl designs central to the composition which is framed by silver metallic thread, with the edges fringed with beadwork. Condition is excellent. Estimated age: late 20th century.

A vintage choli from Pakistan, circa late 20th century. Hand embroidered in red and gold metallic thread on black chiffon to form abstract patterns. The choli is lined inside. Condition is excellent.

Measuring 8 x 36.5 cm, this embroidered band from northern Afghanistan was hand-embroidered by Uzbek women in an exceptionally fine cross stitch on a pumpkin linen background. Condition is excellent. Estimated age early to mid 20th century.

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 prayer, where the stone is placed on a small square on the cloth which the man touches with his forehead. The textile is in good condition but has some fading due to its age (early to mid 20th century).

This is a dress panel made by Kuchi nomads from Afghanistan, with mirrorwork (shisha) and extensive beadwork. This textile represents the most common form of the amulet, the triangle. Decorative embroideries such as these are used as a protective element in central Asian cultures. The mirrors as shiny objects are incorporated into the embroidery and are believed to avert the evil eye, or reflect and hold its image thus absorbing the destructive powers. The beads trimming this textile also serve this purpose. Estimated age mid to late 20th century. 25 x 27 cm. Condition is good.

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.

Measuring 15 x 16.5 this embroidered purse from Afghanistan is in excellent condition and dates to the mid to late 20th century. Silk thread on cotton, in satin stich and brick stitch. White beads on corded tassels surround the edges. Condition is excellent. Estimated age late 20th century.

Living in the mountainous terrain of central Afghanistan where the cold and snow isolate entire villages for months, the minority Hazara women have developed a terse embroidery style of cross stitch and interlocking eight-pointed star motifs to produce their dowries. This textile from central Afghanistan is embroidered in silk thread on a plain weave cotton linen background. The top right corner is left unfinished, part of this textile's understated appeal. It measures 14 inches by 14 1/2 inches. It is being sold in a glass frame (black metal frame). Condition is perfect. Estimated age: late 20th century.

A pair of vintage hand-embroidered make-up bags made by Pashtun nomads from Katawaz, located in Ghazni province, Afghanistan. Each bag is hand-embroidered in silk thread in a tight ladder stitch on a silk background, with some Bukhara stitching where the threads are held down with separate thread in a couching technique, and one bag featuring some small mirrorwork. One of the bags is lined with printed cotton fabric, probably from Russia. Both bags are estimated to date to the mid 20th century. See Bernard Dupaigne's book (Afghan Embroidery © 1996 Ferozsons p. 27) for similar make-up bags. Condition of each bag is excellent, with no flaws nor stains.

Living in the mountainous regions of central Afghanistan, the women make these embroideries throughout the cold and harsh winters. This textile measures 25 x 27 cm and is in excellent condition. The embroidery technique is cross stitch in silk thread on an apricot cotton linen background. Estimated age: mid to late 20th century.

A vintage Sindhi rilhi here re-designed into a modern cushion cover. Measures 39 x 64 cm and is in excellent condition. White cotton cording along the edges, with button hole stitching as the main attraction. Mirrors ("shisha") are used extensively in the embroideries of South Asia to attract the sunlight and also to repel the evil spirits ("jinn"). Estimated age mid to late 20th century. Cotton thread on a cotton ground. The textile is in excellent condition given its age, just some slight fraying.

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. Diamond and chevron patterns adorn the top band, which is executed in minute cross stitch (petit point) and satin stitch in bright pink silk thread. The shawl measures 150 x 224.5 cm and is in good condition, with only a few brass mirrors missing here and there. The reverse is lined with a printed cotton cloth. Estimated age: mid to late 20th century.