Hand-embroidered Bolinpush suzani textile from Uzbekistan

Hand-made and hand-embroidered in the early 20th century, this cotton Bolinpush suzani comes from Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

The small central marigold flower radiates off larger shapes of a similar form, alternating between maroon and marigold colouring. Surrounding these are abstract geometrical and symmetrical black floral patterns, framed in a maroon-coloured border. Around it are further hand-embroidered, black and maroon motifs, repeated around the whole piece. The geometrical patterns are encircled by maroon and cream embroidered borders, terminating in a black textile edge.

Bolinpush is a type of suzani textile, used during a Central Asian wedding ceremony. The textile was used to cover the bride’s head or was held above her as a canopy, in the hopes of protecting her from evil spirits. There are several different types of suzanis, all being the prime decoration during a wedding ceremony.

Always created by women, suzanis were made in sections allowing for many people to work on their creation. Once all sections were made, they were stitched together creating the final textile. The stitch marks are running horizontally across the suzani in Mayfair Gallery’s collection, suggesting the piece was made in two parts.

Traditionally, handmade white cotton fabric was embroidered with silk threads dyed using natural pigments. The designs were drawn onto the cotton by hand with a kalam (a sharpened reed pen), providing guidance for the embroidery.

This beautiful hand-made Bolinpush suzani is an exceptional piece, embodying important Central Asian traditions and would make a superb addition to the appropriate interior as, for example, a wall hanging.