the days slip by

These are single motifs from a huge antique Iranian cloth, part of the extraordinary textile collection of Waddesdon Manor. The fabric is layered, appliquéd and densely embroidered. At this level you can appreciate the individual stitiches, the astonishing intricacy. In one place the colours are cream, blue and black on red and another part of the cloth is quite different: red, green and cream on black. It is only when you step back that the abstract design makes sense, individual motifs become part of a harmonious whole and the pattern reveals itself.