An Ottoman embroidered wall hanging depicting Ayasofya, Turkey, 19th century

worked with polychrome silk threads and metal-thread highlights on a beige ground, depicting Ayasofya emerging from a foliate branch within an arched panel with a hanging mosque lamp, floral borders, mounted on a stretcher

The beige silk ground with many tears and losses, re-backed and consolidated, mounted on a stretcher, some of the silk and metal-threads with minor losses, as viewed.
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Depicting the famed Ayasofya at its centre, the present piece belongs to a small group of richly embroidered wall hangings produced in nineteenth century Turkey. The symbolism of the vegetal decoration surrounding the mosque can be associated to the notion of endless regeneration, whilst the presence of Ayasofya adheres to the idea of an earthly paradise. Hangings of a similar Ottoman technique and design have been noted in R.Taylor, Ottoman Embroidery, Studio Vista, 1993, p.156.