a very unusual antique Uzbek Lakai tribe silk embroidered ilgich / Oyna Khalta embroidery. Dating to early 1900’s and it is a very interesting example. While most such Lakai embroideries were stitched on wool bannat trade cloth, this is one of only a limited number examples that i have seen stitched on silk velvet. In my opinion these velvet grounded examples started when the Lakai tribe migrated following Soviet invasion of the region. This talismanic bridal embroidery with false flap was part of the wedding ceremony. While the motifs are executed very authentically to much older examples, the colours are loud and bold. Somehow the saturation works. The embroidery is very fine and sits week on the green velvet ground. Unfortunately it has some colours smudged on the velvet (because of it being folded and stored by a collector for decades). But it is not overtly distracting and therefore priced very fairly. size: 70cm x 65cm (28” x 25”)