Suzani or Wall Hanging, Uzbekistan

Dark cloth with a V-shaped neck and flowers sewn in a riot of colors.

This suzani wall hanging from Uzbekistan is from Uzbekistan, and dates to the 20th century. It is silk & cotton. The name suzani comes from the Persian word for needle, and these cloths are typically worked in silk thread on a cotton or silk ground with floral roundels. Rectangular dark grey-black textile with a V-shaped opening and an embroidered border of curling scrolls in red, white and gold. Small flowers and spirals in pink, yellow and green fill the lower field. One top corner is torn. It is 36 inches wide and 55 long.

Black cloth, bright stitches, and a good sense of nerve.