Antique? Embroidery from Pakistan

Hi:
I picked this embroidered work up today. The woman said it was "antique" and hand embroidered. I am not sure of either. It was given to her mother about 70 years ago by a friend who was working in Asia and travelled through Pakistan on the way home, where he picked this up.

The piece was immediately framed and has remained so since, so is in pristine condition. I think a label from a well known Toronto framer on the back and general condition of the frame backing etc. attests to that. The stitching appears to be very even and I am not familiar with hand-stitching techniques of the area, so I am wondering if anyone can tell from the photos if it is hand stitched or not. I really don't want to remove it from the frame to look at the back, as it is well stretched and seems very comfortable in its "home".

It is in amazing condition but I am not convinced it is more than 70 years old - can anyone tell from the style - I can't find anything else like this online.

Is anyone familiar with the story being told here?

It measures about 24" x 36".

Any idea what it may be worth?

Any information would be appreciated - I didn't pay much for it and in any event it is a very beautiful piece of work - so antique, hand stitched or not, I am happy with it.

Thanks in advance!

 

Just my take,Im no fabric expert. But that does look much newer to me. Even framed textiles age,and after 70 years Id expect to see something. I had some curtains in the 1990s that looked a lot like the floral and vine part ,and they were bought at Pier One .

 

It is a beautiful piece. Although the figures are in a Persian style, it may be from Kashmir, where there is a long tradition of making textiles decorated with such crewel chain stitching. The embroidery is worked with a hook, and a proficient artisan can produce very even stitches by hand. Kashmir is currently divided between India and Pakistan, so it seems possible that such work could have been obtained in Pakistan.

Most of the examples that I have found are without human figures, but here is one with a Persian style hunting scene:

https://picclick.com/VNTG-Kashmiri-Crewel-Chain-Stitch-Embroidered-Persian-Hunting-253711790542.html

The white background of yours is more typical, and one of the references I found notes that "in the earlier days" subtle colors were preferred whereas more modern embroideries use brighter colors. Yours probably depicts a pleasant garden scene, a theme popular in Islamic art.

https://www.pure-elegance.com/blogs/arts-culture/wonders-of-kashmiri-embroidery-unraveled

https://www.bestofkashmir.com/collections/crewel-fabric

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?
article=2078&context=tsaconf

https://kashmirbox.wordpress.com/2014/08/20/kashmir-chain-stitch-handmade-rugs/

 

Thanks for all that info and links! Is there a way to distinguish hand-embroidered chain stitch from machine-embroidered chain stitch? Do you have an opinion on which this may be? The seller thought it was hand embroidered, but I am not sure how to distinguish.

Any other thoughts on age - other than the lady I bought it from quite reliably told me it was bought about 70 years ago. The photos are not quite accurate in that the background is not actually bright white, but is somewhat yellowed.

Thank again!



Thanks again!

 

I do not have enough experience with these particular textiles to suggest a date, but the comment I quoted about the use of more subtle colors in "earlier" pieces might indicate some age.

Industrial chain stitch machines were developed in the 1860s. But I see no reason to think your piece is not done by hand, given its probable origin and the long established tradition of handwork in the region. The Cornely machine essentially duplicates the chain stitch produced with a hook (more accurately referred to as "tambour" embroidery), so there may not be an easy way to distinguish between machine done work and skilled hand stitching.

 

Very pretty piece. I'd have to see the back, close up...and even then, I'm not sure I could distinguish. Yes, it does look newer...
Leslie