Ottoman Embroidery (Victoria and Albert Museum Studies) [Hardcover]

Jennifer Wearden (Author), Marianne Ellis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001 | Series: Victoria and Albert Museum Studies

A sumptuous addition to the Victoria and Albert Museum textile series, Ottoman Embroidery showcases in full color 150 stunning pieces from the museum's extensive collection. Dating from the mid-16th to the early 20th century, such common household items as napkins, towels, kerchiefs, and trousers have become exotic with age, and their ornate patterns are sure to inspire contemporary needleworkers. Twelve specially commissioned diagrams illustrate intricate techniques like the double-sided stitch--a 500-year-old style of embroidery still practiced today by a few skilled artisans.

To put the collection in context, an introductory text outlines the history of the Ottomans and their impact on European civilization. This image resource offers valuable information for fashion and interior designers.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Beautiful embroidery is one of the unique contributions the Ottoman Empire made to world art. London's Victoria & Albert Museum has acquired over 680 pieces of this work. Here, Ellis (Embroideries and Samplers from Islamic Egypt), research assistant at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford, and Wearden (Samplers from the Victoria & Albert Museum and Persian Printed Cottons), assistant curator in textiles and dress at the Victoria & Albert Museum, pull selected pieces from that collection for this catalog. The Ottoman Empire is very briefly introduced in a chapter covering its history, expansion, culture, and influence, and tucked behind the plates is a wonderful chapter on the actual embroidery techniques, detailed in text and diagrams. The overall organization of the book is, unfortunately, clunky for example, there is no index, and the illustrations and their captions are separated. However, the color illustrations themselves are large and bright, showing the effect of the embroidery pattern or close-up details of the tiny stitches. An additional purchase for specialized collections. Karen Ellis, Nicholson Memorial Lib. Syst., Garland, TX
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Marianne Ellis is a Research Associate at the Ashmolean Muscum, Oxford, and author of Samplers and Embroideries from Islamic Egypt (Ashmolean Museum, 2001). Jennifer Wearden is an Assistant Curator in the Textiles & Dress Department at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and co-author of Samplers (V&A Publications, 1999). --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 144 pages
• Publisher: Victoria & Albert Museum (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810965852
• ISBN-13: 978-0810965850
• Product Dimensions: 11.9 x 10.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,955,089 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars photos of 155 pieces + a how-to, November 26, 2006

By 

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

This review is from: Ottoman Embroidery (Victoria and Albert Museum Studies) (Hardcover)

The vast majority (about 85%) of this book is the 155 colored plates and catalog, some with enough detail to see individual stitches. The catalog information includes the dimensions of the piece, materials used, and stitching technique. Pieces range from the 16th-19th centuries.

There are only 8 pages of background info on culture and history. If you want more on that, see Flowers of Silk and Gold by Krody.

If you'd like to try your hand at one of these styles, the last section of the book describes the various techniques and gives directions and clear, easy to follow diagrams.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ottoman Embroidery Awesomeness!, December 25, 2010

By 

Snowfire "Snowfire" (Stockton, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ottoman Embroidery (Hardcover)

I love the details and information in this book. It was one of those books I wanted forever and I was thrilled to get it as a gift! There is history and practical, usable info in here, and some pretty pictures too.