MEDIEVAL MIDDLE EASTERN DOUBLE RUNNING STITCH EMBROIDERY
Graphed by Rosemary Stecher (Mathilde Eschenbach)

Squares with swastika filling and a border
Brown silk on linen, Egypt, 10th-15th century.


Accession number EA1984.381 at the Newberry Collection of Islamic Embroideries
The Jameel Centre for the Study of Eastern Art, University of Oxford - Ashmolean Museum.



Chart for Cross Stitch Embroidery



Note on the use of Swastikas:

I am interested in the full range of patterns existing in historical embroidery. However, there are symbols which, while not offensive when originally used, now have associations so abhorrent that they should never be used. Above all others is the swastika . When I first charted this pattern, it seemed obvious that the intention was purely for research and understanding the full context of the various styles of counted thread embroidery.

Nevertheless, it has become clear in the last few years that there are people who will ignore this either through ignorance or evil intentions. I cannot do anything about the latter, but hopefully the former will see this, research the associations of the swastika with Nazism and especially the Holocaust , and reconsider actually using the pattern for a piece of embroidery.


Further note:

This particular pattern actually falls at the end of the progression from cross to swastika to pinwheel, and many Egyptian patterns that I would class as pinwheels are not problematic. However, the simple block construction of this makes it visually closer to a swastika than the typical pinwheel, so I would recommend treating this as a full-blown swastika, and not use it.












See the original

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