Book

Encyclopedia of Embroidery from Central Asia, the Iranian Plateau and the Indian Subcontinent

This is the first reference work to describe the history of embroidery throughout Central Asia, the Iranian Plateau and the Indian Subcontinent from the medieval period through to the present. It offers an authoritative guide to all the major embroidery traditions of the region and a detailed examination of the material, technical, artistic and design dimensions of the subject, including its use by today's fashion designers.

Author

Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, Willem Vogelsang

Date

14 January 2021

Links

Bloomsbury page

For millennia, the peoples of Central Asian, the Iranian Plateau and the Indian Subcontinent have migrated and traded along the multiple strands of the Silk Road, both north–south and east–west. This history of contact has found rich expression within the arts and crafts of the region and particularly in the heritage of embroidery which has sat at the heart of the social and cultural lives of these diverse communities. Embroidery has been produced to decorate individuals, their families, their clients, their homes and public spaces and has reflected economic and political changes over time as well as social, religious and artistic contexts.

Generously illustrated with 500 images (350 in colour) of clothes, accessories, and examples of decorated soft furnishings such as cushions, bed linen, curtains, floor coverings and wall hangings, the Encyclopedia is an essential resource for students and scholars of the subject.

This book is part of the Bloomsbury World Encyclopedia of Embroidery series (edited by Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood), a series of eight volumes mapping the embroidery traditions of the world region by region.

Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood is director of the Textile Research Centre in Leiden. Willem Vogelsang was the institute manager and Deputy Director of the International Institute for Asian Studies from mid-2011 until 31 December 2020.