This saye gosha (or segusha) shows the dynamic use of line and vivid color for which Uzbek Lakai embroidery is famous. Saye gosha are V-shaped hangings used to decorate piles of quilts while in storage during the day in the yurt. The Lakai are an Uzbek tribe who currently live around Kunduz in northern Afghanistan. Originally more widespread, they were also once found in what is now Uzbekistan and Tajikistan...

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 pair of embroidered ankle bands from Turkmenistan, measuring 20.3 x 22.9 cm. Embroidery technique is extremely fine herringbone and satin stitch on an indigo silk background. Condition: Excellent. Circa early to mid 20th century.

This saye gosha (or segusha) shows the dynamic use of line and vivid color for which Uzbek Lakai embroidery is famous. Saye gosha are V-shaped hangings used to decorate piles of quilts while in storage during the day in the yurt. The Lakai are an Uzbek tribe who currently live around Kunduz in northern Afghanistan. Originally more widespread, they were also once found in what is now Uzbekistan and Tajikistan...

A prayer cloth (mohr posh) embroidered by Hazara women, probably originating from Ghazni, Uruzgan or Bamiyan province. These prayer cloths are unique to the Hazara and are used to wrap the Shi'a prayer stone, called the mohr. At the time of prayer, the stone is laid on the cloth so that the worshipper touches with his forehead the small square where the stone is placed. The stone depicts the mosque and minarets of Karbela...

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...

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.

This is a vintage child's front from Paktia province in eastern Afghanistan. It measures 25 x 28 cm and is densely embroidered in silk thread in a tightly worked ladder stitch. The sides, shoulder and waist straps are executed in Bukhara stitching where the metallic threads are carefully laid in parallel and then meticulously fastened down with a cotton thread. This textile is estimated to date to the mid 20th century and is in excellent condition.

A densely embroidered pillow cover from Hazara district in Pakistan, circa 1950. This pillow cover was made for a wedding. Curling horn and star patterns are typical of the embroidery of the Hazara district, resembling both in design and technique the phulkaris of Punjab province. In this district it is typically accomplished from the reverse - the designs are outlined with one running stitch, then the outlines are filled in with another...

This vintage Hazara waistcoat from Jaghori in central Afghanistan is embroidered in extremely fine cross stitch in silk thread, depicting interlocking eight star motifs, a traditional motif in Hazara embroidery. The collar, shoulder bands and side panels are meticulously worked in Bukhara stitching in metallic thread, where the couched threads are laid in parallel to each other and are fastened by small stitches...

An Uzbek mafrash panel from northern Afghanistan, mid to late 20th century. Silk embroidery in cross stitch, measuring 16 1/4 x 40 1/4 inches (41.3 cm x 102.2 cm). Condition: Excellent. The reverse side of this textile is lined in purple silk with an ikat hem.

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...

Pompoms adorn the edges of this densely embroidered textile made by the Kakarh tribe of Afghanistan. Metallic couching combined with Holbein, herringone and satin stitching characterize this piece. The reverse side is lined in plainweave striped cotton. The Kakarh have descendants in western provinces of Pakistan but are mostly found in Afghanistan and eastern Iran. This textile is in perfect condition and measures 20 x 31 1/2 inches (50.8 x 80 cm). Estimated age: mid 20th century.

A Kuchi dress from Afghanistan from the second half of 20th century. The dress bodice has a front slit with button closure, and dense silk embroidery adorns the bodice, sleeve ends, and bottom hem. The embroidery is mostly satin stitch, with ladder stitch and herringbone stitch on black cotton. The embroidered sleeve bands and bottom embroidered band are 2 inches in width. The printed fabric is cotton, with small turquoise, yellow and red motifs on a black background...

From a local estate comes a pair of very, very detailed Tibetan thangka paintings, one measuring 24" by 19 3/4" in its gold frame and the other 21 1/2" by 16 1/4". I am not a specialist in art of the Indian subcontinent and the Himalayas or Tibetan Plateau region, but I understand these to be highly symbolic religious works of that geographic origin. The former owner was said to have collected these on one of her trips to India...

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...

This child's waistcoat is from Indus Kohistan, located in the province of Pakistan formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province (NWFP), recently re-named Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It is a superb piece, embroidered on black cotton fabric and embellished with coins, multicolored glass seed beads and pearly buttons. The vest measures 32 cm by 37 cm with the neck yoke measuring 11 cm. It is estimated to date to the middle to late 20th century. The embroidery is extremely fine, mainly cross and sati...

This Uzbek textile from northern Afghanistan is called a "bolim posh" meaning a canopy held over the bride and groom at the wedding ceremony. Embroidered in couching stitch ("basma") in mostly silk thread on a fine linen ground, it measures 125 W x 134 cm L. Some minor staining consistent with its age (mid to late 20th century). The stylized sun discs and flowers suggest the influence of ancient Scythian forms (for similar examples see Janet Harvey's book Traditional Textiles of Central Asia, pp...