These silk on cotton embroideries – lovingly made as dowry pieces for brides to take to their marital homes, and all purchased by Burrell in the space of two months in 1925 – spent their lives in Hutton Castle masquerading as luxurious bedspreads. This group includes eight full-size Suzani wall hangings, two Nimsuzanis – half-size hangings – and one Ruijo cover, a wedding-night bedsheet.
The first six pieces were purchased on 25 April 1925 in the English town of Nantwich through a Mr S. C. Worsey. Nantwich was a popular holiday destination, and Sir William Burrell and his wife were accustomed to visiting it for short breaks. On this visit they seem to have stayed at a luxury spa hotel managed by Mr Worsey. Sir William very briefly recorded the purchase of these embroideries in his purchase book for that year.
You can learn more about the topic in the book-album “The Cultural Legacy of Uzbekistan in the Collections of Great Britain” (Volume XLVI) in the series "Сultural legacy of Uzbekistan in the world collections".
The main sponsor of the project is the oilfield services company Eriell-Group.
