Antique tapestry with unknown foreign language on it

Discussion in 'Textiles, Needle Arts, Clothing' started by Jim5, Apr 23, 2018.

  1. Jim5

    Jim5 New Member

    Hi,

    This 5 by 5 feet tapestry in very good condition was stored in my parent's house although it's very likely from their parents or grandparents since it was never on my parent's walls and they were not antique collectors. So, it seems very old, I'm 63, this has been around a long time.

    Nothing written on back of it, there was a paper tag stuck on it but most of it fell off over the years, all that's left is a S and smaller 158 or 156 below it, it doesn’t appear there were numbers after 8 (or 6) or before 1, it’s not handwritten. Can only see with magnifying glass so unable to get photo with my camera.

    I did a lot of googling under “Images” and on ebay for something like it to find info about it and approximate value but couldn’t find anything even remotely similar to it.

    I've always found the writing on it to be very unusual, curious what language it is and what it says.

    So, what do you all think of this? Thank you very much for any thoughts on it.

    Edit: Found out today that it looks like this will likely go on ebay so hoping to find some ballpark amount that it's worth. I searched there and google for Egypt tapestries but found none. Thanks!

    Jim
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Apr 23, 2018
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  2. gregsglass

    gregsglass Well-Known Member

    Hi,
    Looks like a wonderful piano scarf. That is Arabiac writing. Is it silk or rayon?
    greg
     
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  3. Bronwen

    Bronwen Well-Known Member

    Welcome Jim. The characters look to me to be for one of the languages of India, Indonesia, etc., rather than Chinese, Japanese or Arabic. @Any Jewelry will have an idea, or more than an idea.
     
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  4. gregsglass

    gregsglass Well-Known Member

    Hi,
    I have seen several of these over the years. One had a made in Egypt tag sewn to a corner. Some were silk and some were Rayon.
    greg
     
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  5. Jim5

    Jim5 New Member

    Thank you to all for the info, and for the welcome, Bronwen.


    Greg, since it's fairly thick and not silky, apparently it's Rayon, although it feels silky on top. Maybe silk thread on Rayon cloth? Of the several that you saw, were any of these for sale on ebay? I did a search there with Egypt and tapestry in search but couldn't find any that resembled mine. Googled that also and none found. Trying to find some ballpark value of these since I found today that it's likely going to be sold. Thanks!
     
    Last edited: Apr 23, 2018
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  6. Jim5

    Jim5 New Member

    Last edited: Apr 23, 2018
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  7. komokwa

    komokwa The Truth is out there...!

    could be silk.....it has that sheen that cotton doesn't.
     
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  8. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Welcome to the forum, Jim5.
    Nice tapestry, I love the colours. These were often used as piano scarves, as Greg said.
    Could be either silk or rayon, here is a simple test to find out:
    http://www.threadsmagazine.com/2013/06/20/how-to-identify-fabrics-with-a-burn-test

    The writing is stylized Arabic calligraphy. These are called Persian, Turkish, Egyptian. On the safe side I would call it a general Ottoman style. Egypt and the Middle East were once part of the Ottoman empire, as well as Ottoman homeland Turkey. They could even have been made in several places.
    You can take the description of the seller on 1stdibs with a grain of salt, these weren't made in Granada. It just conjures up a romantic image of Moorish Spain. The price is very fancy as well.
    Here are some in the same style:
    https://www.etsy.com/listing/995707...sian+tapestry+wall+hanging&ref=sr_gallery-1-5
    https://www.etsy.com/listing/561960...ian+tapestry+wall+hanging&ref=sr_gallery-1-15
     
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  9. Jim5

    Jim5 New Member

    Thank you for additional info "komokwa" and "Any Jewelry", appreciate the details "Any...". I had a feeling I needed to take one listing with a grain of salt, the price especially, since it's the only one I found that looks exactly like mine. Trying a lot of search terms in googling but can't find another, it sure does help when you can find some just like what you're selling (or very similar) with sold prices on ebay.

    "Any Jewelry" - Maybe you didn't notice that info in link to fabric test requires a small piece be burned after it's cut off. Good test for bulk or extra pieces of fabric but not this. I looked through other links on that page and that was only test I found.

    The etsy tapestries were somewhat similar, thanks, the two prices were quite different and far from that $650 which I was hoping was a fairly accurate value, oh well. So, hard to know just what mine is worth. Antique appraisers look to costly for what this appears to be worth as of now, google said "$150 to $350". Too bad Antiques Roadshow isn't coming to town! But not on their schedule.
     
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  10. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    I usually find a loose thread (in the case of a seam) or cut a bit of thread off the fringe. If you cut off the end of a thread that's in the centre of a tassel, you won't notice it. But I understand if you think that is too much of a risk.
     
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  11. gregsglass

    gregsglass Well-Known Member

    Hi,
    I agree with AJ and have always done the burn test with just a thread, never using a swatch.
    greg
     
  12. Jim5

    Jim5 New Member

    Ah, I see, okay, thanks. The fringe on this has a soft, very cotton-like feel to it so didn't use that as it seemed to me it obviously wasn't silk, or like any silk I ever felt.

    I found a short half inch blue thread on the back. It burned fast like a fuse and the odor was not like burnt hair, as that video says silk smells like. I wasn't sure at first so burned some hair, no doubt after that. The burned thread had a somewhat familiar smell. I burned a very small piece of paper to see if maybe it was like that and it was somewhat but not exactly. So, I guess this is Rayon.
     
  13. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Perfect test, Jim5. I would say rayon as well.
     
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  14. Bev aka thelmasstuff

    Bev aka thelmasstuff Colored pencil artist extraordinaire ;)

    I always though piano scarves were longer than they were wide. Not square like this.
     
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