On January 28, Freeman’s will offer a 20th-century Uzbek suzani wall hanging as part of the “International Sale” in Philadelphia. Home to major Silk Road trading cities Samarkand and Bukhara, Uzbekistan has a long textile tradition. Suzani literally translates to “needlework” but commonly refers to silk-embroidered wall hangings. Highly popular from the 19th to the 20th centuries, suzanis were a regular part of an Uzbek bride’s dowry. Female relatives would start work on the textile soon after the birth of a girl, who by age six would begin to develop her own embroidery skills.
With the link to the Silk Road, suzani weavers were able to benefit from the flow of designs between the East and the West, gaining inspiration from Chinese floral motifs and Islamic geometric abstractions. This suzani has a detailed medallion pattern embroidered in blue, purple, and black on a golden-yellow background.
Large suzani wall hanging, 96" w. x 110" h.; Freeman’s, Philadelphia, January 28; estimate $1,000 to $2,000. freemansauction.com
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