In Trockenen Tüchern

The publication In trockenen Tüchern [A Stitch in Time] presents selected Ottoman textiles from the eighteenth to the twentieth century.

Artistically decorated with blossom, fruit, or objects from everyday culture such as flagons, architecture, or ships, the cloths are a fascinating account of the embroidery and weaving techniques used, which — and this is the special feature — look exactly the same on both sides, so that the front and reverse cannot be distinguished.

The finely woven textiles compiled here stem from the collection of the Museum Fünf Kontinente [Museum Five Continents] in Munich — where they are also currently being exhibited — as well as the private collections of Ulla Ther, Munich, and Werner Middendorf, Berlin. They fulfilled different functions within the various realms of people’s lives, accompanying everyday activities as towels or napkins, or adorning apartments and houses on special occasions such as weddings or births. The items of embroidery range from quite roughly contoured shapes — in this you can clearly see that the embroiderer would have preferred to spend her time on other work — to delicately stitched details that bear witness to a high level of craftsmanship and a vast repertoire of forms. For while some people had to embroider the pieces themselves, the prosperous citizens could have their woven pieces custom-made in small, professional manufactories, where men too would be carrying out embroidery work.

Discover the diversity and vibrancy of this centuries-old cultural technique and immerse yourselves in the Ottoman life of past centuries.