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TEXTILES
Uzbekistan: Nurata
Wall hanging (for dowry)
1800 to 1850
Plain weave; Embroidered
Suzani embroidery
88 x 60 in. (223.5 x 152.4 cm)
The Blanche Payne Collection, gift of the Museum of History and Industry, Seattle
TC 92.10-7

This five-panel wall hanging showcases the creativity of female embroiderers. The center field forms a garden filled with botehs (sprays of floral sprigs): roses, poppies, carnations, iris and other local flowers. Also included are a jug of pomegranates, a water jar and tiny sun motifs on the border. For the wedding ceremony these embroidered cloths were hung closely together indoors and outdoors. Creating privacy while densely draping the marriage bed, they provided a symbolic garden bower—a fertile paradise for the couple’s future.

-- Label copy for Along the Silk Road: Rugs and Textiles from Syria to China, February 7 to May 12, 2002.

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