"Suzani" means
needlework, but to most collectors, the word has a more specific
meaning: "suzani" is synonymous with the glorious
embroideries of Uzbekistan, in Central Asia. In recent
years, we've witnessed a remarkable revival of this old
traditional art form.
In the nineteenth century, Uzbek women produced fabulous embroidered hangings, bed covers,
wrapping cloths, table covers, and prayer mats for their
households and their daughters' dowries. As the Soviet Era
ended and Westerners became more familiar with the finest old Uzbek
pieces, prices for antique examples escalated wildly. A revival of the old forms and
techniques was a natural development as new markets opened. Now gorgeous
contemporary embroideries decorate not only Uzbek homes, but
also grace European and American
households, while talented and industrious Uzbek women have a
welcome new source of family income. Fortunately, we now have access to
beautiful contemporary
textiles that are a natural
outgrowth of the old traditions--at very reasonable prices. |
 |
| As with any textile art, a
range of quality appears in the new suzanis currently on the
market. The pieces are produced under
widely varying
circumstances--both in cities and villages, both in workshops
and in homes. Much of this craft work centers in the Tashkent, Nurata, Samarkand,
Bukhara and Shahrisabz areas. The best new pieces are truly
lovely, with inspired designing, excellent materials, and
fine craftsmanship. Although I deal almost
entirely in antique textiles, I have been unable to resist the
best
of these lovely embroideries. |
Hand-woven fabrics are
used for the embroidery foundation cloth. These fabrics
are woven in narrow strips. Most current-day pieces are a
silk/cotton blend: a silk
warp is most usual, with cotton wefts. In some satin-weave pieces
the weft is also silk. Occasional ground fabrics are all cotton,
especially for pieces expected to get hard use, such as horse
covers. The fabrics are often lightly dyed to
produce a soft beige tint--a so-called "tea wash." Occasionally other colors are used
for the ground fabrics.
For large suzanis, several of the fabric strips are first sewn loosely together and
the pattern is drawn on them; then they are taken apart so that
two or more family members or friends can work on the embroidery
simultaneously. Later when the panels are rejoined, the
pattern parts may not match perfectly, and extra stitches may be
added in the areas along the seams. It's the old, traditional
approach in this hand-crafted art form. |
 |
|
An Uzbek woman sketching a design for
a suzani. M. Zerrnickel. Johannes Kalter and
Margareta Ravaloi, eds, Heirs to the Silk Road: Uzbekistan,
London, 1997, plate 537.
|
|
|
Women in a village near Nurata making a new suzani. After
Chris Martens, "Flowering Gardens of the Future," HALI:
137, November-December 2004, p. 155.
|
| The suzani embroidery threads are
silk. Two traditional stitches are used in a majority of the
pieces: primarily basma stitch, sometimes called Bukhara
couching, and less often, chain stitch. An unbelievable amount of time and care goes
into the making of each piece. |
|
| With the basma stitch, long strands
are first laid across the fabric surface. Then these are secured with
short couching stitches that are normally aligned diagonally. This
stitch is especially effective for covering
sizeable areas. The appearance can vary in character: some of the
stitching is smooth, fine, regular and flat; on other examples,
the stitched areas assume an almost three-dimensional character
and texture,
which shows off the lustrous silks to their full
advantage. In any case, this technique makes large, generous,
dramatic motifs possible. Sensitive
artisans match the scale of the stitching perfectly to the
designs in their luxurious pieces. |
|
|
 |
Basma stitch, or Bukhara couching, worked in silk on an Uzbek
suzani
|
| Chain stitch
is normally done with a fine tambour hook that's much like a
tiny crochet hook. A suzani may be
worked entirely with chain stitch, or the technique may be
combined with basma couching. Chain stitch is most often used
for outlining couched areas or for producing delicate linear
elements and fine details. |
 |
|
A village woman in the Nurata area
uses a tambour hook to produce chain-stitch outlines and linear
details on a new suzani. The large solid-color areas were first
worked in basma stitch. After Chris Martens,
"Flowering Gardens of the Future, " HALI: 137,
p. 159.
|
|
|
Detail of an Uzbek suzani which is all chain stitch done with a tambour hook
|
| After nearly a century of
synthetic dye use in Central Asia, the best workshops in
Uzbekistan have now returned to traditional natural dyes for the most glorious colors. The dye
materials used
include madder, cochineal, indigo, walnut, pomegranate, and
sumak, along with assorted others. On
lustrous silks, the results are deep, rich, mellow, and glowing. Unfortunately, JPEG photos cannot do
them justice. But the difference between contemporary suzanis
with natural dyes and those with synthetic dyed materials is
significant. In some synthetic-dye pieces the colors are
not stable and thus cannot be cleaned. |
|
|
|
|
| Graceful
floral motifs
dominate in Uzbek suzanis--both in nineteenth century pieces
and in modern work. In a bleak desert landscape, oasis and
courtyard gardens are especially cherished, and so plants,
blossoms and vines of all types appear in the needlework, as
well as occasional fish and birds. Old traditional abstracted
forms also appear: palmettes, rosettes, and
pomegranates. Medallions are nearly always flower
forms, although there is speculation that some large roundels
may have represented the sun or moon in past times. Ottoman brocades and embroidery designs
have always been highly
regarded in Central Asia, and so dramatic Ottoman tulip
designs have been appearing as well in the contemporary
embroideries. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|