(9 August 2024) I am currently working on the fascinating, but complicated history of Ottoman Turkish embroidery, for the 5th volume of the Bloomsbury World Encyclopaedia of Embroidery. The volume is about central and eastern European embroidery, including Russia, the Balkans, Greece, Turkey, and the Caucasus.
A drawing by an anonymous artist portraying the daily life in the Grand Bazaar in Ottoman times.As part of the initial research I have been reading Turkish and European travelogues and reports about life in the Ottoman Empire, in order to glean further information about embroidery, its many forms, techniques and influences.
One of the books I have been delving into is by Charles White (1793-1861). White was a former colonel in the British army, who served under Wellington in the Peninsular War between 1807-1814. He later went on to live in Istanbul (which he called Constantinople) between 1841 and 1844. He wrote a three-volume book entitled Three Years in Constantinople: Domestic Manners of the Turks (London, 1845). He died in Brussels in 1861.
In the second volume of the White trilogy there is a detailed description of the Kapalı çarşı (Grand Bazaar) of Istanbul. He describes various quarters, such as that of the shoemakers (and yes there are embroidered shoes, slippers and patten straps), the silk quarter, as well as what he called the Yaghlik Tcharshy or kerchief quarter.
In his description of the people and goods associated with this quarter, White mentioned two details that started to gently ring some bells with me. He noted that some of the embroidered items were made especially for the European or foreign markets. These included items with the Sultan’s signature or cipher (tughra), with images of mosques, crescents or stars. He stressed that textiles with these motifs were never used by Turkish or Armenian people (White 1845:103). He also noted that embroidered aprons and trimmings for gowns were also exclusively produced for Europeans.
Late 19th century apron from Turkey (TRC 2003.0199).
So why the tinkle of bells? In the collection of the TRC there is an embroidered apron (TRC 2003.0199) that is Ottoman Turkish in origin. We were given the apron in 2003 by Mrs. L. Van der Laan- de Brouwer, but unfortunately no further details were known. The apron has a small bib, skirt and waist ties that are made from a very fine cloth, which is decorated with floral, geometric and paisley (buteh) motifs in white silk and gold-coloured metal thread. There are also inscriptions around the outer edge of the apron skirt. The bib has a cipher (tughra) normally used to indicte the name of a the reigning sultan, but his precise identity can not be ascertained. The cipher is worked in satin stitch using white floss silk and silver metal thread (passing). In addition, the waist ties have texts (?) in Arabic script, although one of these texts is upside down. I will come back to this text in a later blog.
Detail of the Ottoman Turkish apron with a text (?) in Arabic script, 19th century (TRC 2003.0199).
Initially we thought that it was a European-style urban apron that had been made from part of an Ottoman woman’s gown (entarı). Given White’s comments, however, plus the motifs and indeed the embroidery techniques and materials, it is likely a mid- to late 19th century embroidery made for the European tourist trade, perhaps even in the Grand Bazaar itself (or at least for sale there). A slightly different story than we had initially thought, but that is the great thing about research at the TRC (and in general): We often have new ideas and insights for items in the amazing TRC Collection (which is a treasure chest of ideas for the curious minded!).
Dr Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, Director TRC.
