Fringe around the perimeter and a center panel of purple velvet add unique elements to this hanging. Although this is a plain velvet, Uzbeks and Tajiks sometimes made a’lo baghmal, a specialty fabric that combines velvet with ikat. In this fabric, there are two warp systems, one for the ground cloth and one for the velvet, which is a pile weave. In order to form the pile, the ikat warps are raised to form loops over a grooved wire. A razor is drawn through the groove, leaving a perfectly even pattern on the pile.

Patchwork hanging
Circa
1870
1900
Made in
Uzbekistan
77
54
IQM, Gift of the Robert and Ardis James Foundation
2015.014.0001