Suzani (large embroidered hanging or cover) (19th century): Artwork and History

Suzani (large embroidered hanging or cover) (19th century) is in the Art Institute of Chicago collection. The museum lists its creator attribution as Uzbekistan, possibly Shakhrisabz or Shafirkhan.

The work and its context

The Art Institute of Chicago describes the work:

The term suzani comes from the Persian word for needle, but in Central Asia it specifically refers to large, spectacularly colorful textiles embroidered in silk. Suzanis were tradi­tionally used as wall hangings or as covers to wrap bedding and clothing. Produced by women, they were an essential part of a wedding dowry. Because of their size, suzanis consist of several widths of narrower cloth. These ground (or base) fabrics were first laid out and the design drawn upon them. Each width of cloth was then embroidered separately, perhaps by several artists working together, before being assembled.

Object facts

• Title: Suzani (large embroidered hanging or cover)
• Date: 19th century
• Artist attribution: Uzbekistan, possibly Shakhrisabz or Shafirkhan
• Place of origin: Uzbekistan
• Medium: Cotton, plain weave; embroidered with silk
• Dimensions: 231.4 × 150.2 cm (91 1/8 × 59 1/8 in.)
• Type: Textile
• Department: Textiles
• Reference number: 1925.558

Collection credit

Gift of Robert Allerton

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The description above is credited to the Art Institute of Chicago and reused under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0; HTML formatting has been converted to plain text. Other catalogue metadata and the public-domain image are provided under CC0 1.0.