Turkey, late 16th century
An extremely rare Ottoman silk brocade kemha panel
Ottoman brocade kemha fabrics achieved their most characteristic motifs and a thin, perfect weaving technique by the end of the 15th century, reaching their highest levels in the 16th century, with silver threads on satin silk.
122 x 100 cm
Provenance
collection of a gentleman, Greece
Estimate
Notes
The internal decoration of the ogival medallions in this textile is close, both in concept and detail, to that of a 16th-century embroidered satin kerchief published by Walter Denny in Tulips, Arabesques & Turbans, New York 1982, pl. 150. Deriving from a cope. See Patricia Frost, Miller’s Collecting Textiles, London 2000 (reproduced p. 56).
A minor piece of the fabric was exhibited at Turkophilia, Paris, 2011, and sold at Sotheby’s, An Eye for Opulence, 24 April 2012, lot 163.
Condition Report
Showing some wear consistent with age and handling