Tekche (fragment ?)cod. 0664. Silk lacing and chain stitch hand-embroidery on black velvet. Kirghiz people. Central Asia.. Early 20th. century. Very good condition. Cm. 35 x 95 (1’2” x 3’1”). Backed with local block-printed handwoven cotton. This Kyrgyz embroidery would have been hung on the interior lattice framework of a Kyrgyz yurt. Originally, they were backed with fabric to form a pouch, or hung hammock-like from the framework of a yurt wall in order to that hold small personal items. Later, they may have been purely decorative pieces – but with powerful protective properties, such as the ram’s horns motifs seen on this piece.