Embroidery

 This is an European counted thread embroidery sample book. 

Date: early 17th century.

 Region: Spain Italy

Saved from The Metropolitan  Museum of Art.

How beautiful is this. A form of Art originates in one place and then migrates to different places. Ancient Indian hand embroidery used in dresses and bed linen in Royal families, as I have seen in the Indian museum and Palace museums in Rajasthan were mostly satin, stem stiches, chain stitch done with silk threads or resham and pure zari. The stitches used in hills were little different. Even then the Chambal rumal embroidery is mostly stem and satin stitch. The one used in Kashmir is Kasmiri stitch which is a modified satin stitch outlined with another thread.

Indian counted thread traditional embroidery like Kuchh embroidery in Gujarat, kasuti and Lambani in Karnataka and others seem to have been inspired from these  European embroidery stitches and then modified according to the taste and culture of the particular region of the craft.