Ottoman Embroidery [Hardcover]

Roderick Taylor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 1993

This is the first book ever to look at the whole range of embroidered textiles produced within this important and highly influential culture, from the commonest leggings and handkerchiefs to the costliest robes and decorated tents.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This beautifully illustrated volume examines an aspect of Islamic art not well known in the West. Taylor, a contributor to the textile magazine Hali , begins with a short background on Ottoman history and culture. He next discussess the types, designs/patterns, and techniques employed by the Ottomans and then examines their influence under two headings: Islamic Style and Infidel Style. The volume is scholarly in its approach, well researched and carefully written. The illustrations are very well reproduced, giving accurate color and losing none of the detail. Though it is a pity that Taylor did not examine embroideries done by some of the minorities--Jews, Armenians, and Greeks, among others--to see how the styles influenced one another, this is a volume to be included in every serious collection on art and Islamic culture and will be of interest to the general reader as well as the specialist.
- Martin Chasin, Adult Inst., Bridgeport, Ct.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A beautifully illustrated volume... -Library Journal -- Library Journal

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Interlink Publishing Group (November 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1566561345
• ISBN-13: 978-1566561341
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,462,602 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars lovely pictures, questionable information, November 18, 2006

By 

R. "broid" (western USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ottoman Embroidery (Hardcover)

Strong concurrence with Lilinah's review. The strength of this book is its photos. Unfortunately, the text has many inaccuracies. The author is not a scholarly researcher and much of his information is flat out wrong. He often says things were "always" or "never" done when a quick browse through other collections shows many examples to the contrary. This applies to his information on style, materials, and techniques. He may be an embroidery collector and a contributor to a textile magazine but the information in this book does not show evidence of in depth expertise in textiles or fiber. Familiarity, yes; expertise, no.

Since there are so many mistakes in his embroidery information, the parts dealing with Ottoman history and culture fall under a pall of suspicion as well. MUCH better book choices are Ottoman Embroidery by Ellis and Wearden and Flowers of Silk and Gold by Krody, both of which have excellent photos as well as solid text. Use Taylor's book for the photos but cross check the textual content.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tantalizing but quite flawed look at Ottoman Embroidery, September 4, 2005

By 

Lilinah "bibliophiliac" (San Francisco Bay Area, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ottoman Embroidery (Hardcover)

Taylor may be a well-educated man and extensive collector of Ottoman embroidery. But while the volume appears to be scholarly and well researched in its approach, it isn't. Unfortunately his discussions of fibers, fabrics, clothing, and embroidery techniques leave much to be desired. Taylor makes many sweeping statements about the whole of the Ottoman Empire, when the information actually pertains only to a narrow and limited period. He is clearly ill informed about Ottoman clothing, making claims for over 400 years that apply only to the 19th century. His information about the history of the fibers and weaving techniques are sketchy at best and inaccurate at worst. The two chapters Islamic Style and Infidel Style are frustrating in that they introduce interesting and valuable topics then give them both short shrift.

The photographs are beautiful, but there is more detailed and accurate information on historical, social, and cultural context, on textile history and techniques, and on embroidery techniques in the books by Sumru Krody (Flowers of Silk and Gold , from the Textile Museum) and by Marianne Ellis and Jennifer Wearden (also titled Ottoman Embroidery, from the Victoria and Albert Museum)