hanging
- Museum number
- Eu1983,01.24
- Description
-
A large, rectangular woollen textile attached to a carved, decorative wooden batten at the top. Made of two equal sized pieces of red embroidered cloth sewn together (faggoting) along one of the selvedges. Basket weave ground fabric (tabby) with a band of twill weaving towards each warp end. On each half of hanging is a very large 'X' motif framed by a large composite square motif. Embroidered in cross stitch in tones of yellow, green and blue wool yarns. Fifteen round 'shisha' mirrors stitched to cloth; an additional seven missing. Warp end knotted but uncut. Top end finished in same manner and secured to wooden batten with metal drawing pins. Some damage; repaired by darning.
- Production date
- 1900-1930
- Dimensions
-
Length: 202 centimetres
-
Width: 118 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- For donor's note on his father's collection, see Eu1983,01.1.
For a similar cloth described as a wedding 'odhni (shawl) worn by the Jat people from Shekawati district, Rajasthan, see J. Gillow and Nicholas Barnard, 'Traditional Indian Textiles', London 1991, p. 70. Such cloths were usually made of wool with cotton embroidery and mirrors. Two further similar examples are in the Textile Museum of Canada (T00.45.82 and 173), illustrated on their website: www.textilemuseum.ca.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1983
- Acquisition notes
- These 24 pieces (Eu1983,01.1-24) form part of a collection of some 106 items (textiles and painted wood boxes) obtained by the donor's father, the artist Ervin Bossanyi, in the villages of southern Hungary between about 1900 and 1930, although some of the items may be earlier in date. Some 60 pieces were given to the Türr Istvan Museum in Baja, south Hungary, at the donor's request; the remainder was divided between the British Museum and the donor's family.
See Eth Doc 1789 for full details of acquisition.
- Department
- Britain, Europe and Prehistory
- Registration number
- Eu1983,01.24