Crete Embroidery (19th Century)

This Crete embroidery was made in the later 19th century out of silk and cotton.

Crete was under Venetian rule until 1669, when it fell to the Ottoman Empire. The influence of both East and West are very strongly combined in creating a freer type of design very different from the work in other parts of Greece. Best known are the embroideries on the borders of chemises, but this type of design can also be found on other utilitarian household textiles.

The motifs are easily recognizable and include double headed eagles, vases of carnations with birds on either side forming a tree of life and human figures wearing crowns. All these motifs are present in this example, executed on a cotton foundation with polychrome silk in a variety of techniques including satin stitch, chain stitch and cross stitch.