Antique Mamluk Khedival Khayamiya Appliquè
Derived from the Arabic ‘khayam’ (tent), the Egyptian khedival khayamiya are elaborately hand-stitched appliquè cotton hangings, woven in the golden period between 1867 and 1914. What results are textiles of great visual power denoted by rich, vibrant colours, decorated by bold architectural motifs which enunciate an adherence to a Mamluk Revival or Neo-Islamic style. These were employed as precious hangings in lavishly decorated tents during important civil, military or religious occasions, following an ancient Ottoman tradition.
The construction of khayamiya is similar to that employed for traditional quilts: the outer layer consists of a sturdy cotton fabric, ta layer of linen is then placed on top, acting as the background fabric onto which is hand stitched the elaborate pattern in the appliquè technique. Henri Matisse was one of the early collectors of these textiles, and featured one of them in his 1948 painting entitled ‘Interior with Egyptian Curtain’. The clear resemblance between khayamiya appliquè patterns and Matisse’s ‘papier coupes’ artworks indicates the degree with which these textiles have shaped his later oeuvres.