Kerchief

This delicate kerchief has an exceptionally complex design. The fine silk has been skilfully embroidered with a reversible pattern of individual plants. At least eleven of the seventeen fruits and flowers depicted were introduced into Europe from or through the Ottoman Empire. The plants have been copied from botanical drawings, and the source of these designs would probably have been a series of scientific studies published in Central Europe in the middle of the 18th century.
However, the embroidery technique is not European. The stitch used is one of the most characteristic Turkish embroidery stitches, known in English as double darning and in as Turkish 'pesent'. Because the needle goes over the same row twice, both sides of the work are identical. As the fine silk ground is completely transparent, the kerchief needs to be folded slightly off centre. Then it is possible to see two borders in perfect detail, doubling the effect of pattern and colour.