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SYUZANE
SYUZANE – in Tajikistan – a wall carpet embroidered with silk or mouline on a cotton cloth, silk, velvet. It is made on a back lining, sewed around by a lace or a black cloth. The composition is adorned by a broad smart lace and the field filled with rosettes, symbolic motives. The word syuzane originated from Persian “syuzan” - needle. Syuzane was embroidered by women with multi-color silk threads on cotton or silk cloth leaving a small space of unfinished picture so that young embroideresses could finish it
In accordance with folk tradition, the unfinished pattern of syuzane meant the succession of generations and wish that weddings were never stopped in a family. Since ancient times wedding ceremonies were accompanied by magic power of periapts called to guard happiness of young couples against dark forces. This power was prescribed to the decorative ornament of syuzane. There existed various schools of syuzane technique, for example: needle, erma, bigiz, etc Every village, every region differed in the technique of embroidery.
Traditions of embroidery art in the decorative applied art of Tajikistan go far back to the antiquity, the data on this is saved on the ancient frescos of Penjikent, Hulbuk, Afrosiab and also in the rare pieces of fabrics from archaeological excavations. North Tajikistan is famous for its embroideries decorating dwelling while in South regions there are decorated both dwellings and especially clothes.
In every Tajikistan house there is a room for guests called "mehmonhona". Usually traditional mehmonhona is decorated with wonderful embroideries. Largest embroidery measuring from 160õ220 to 300õ400 is called syuzane. In mehmonhona there is always an embroidery - a bar under ceiling called "zardevor". Zardevor, being a piece of art, occupies an important place in the interior of mehmonhona, as it helps to design the composition on the whole. A lot of large "tents" are usually illustrated on zardevor. Between them there are the images of trees, flowers or branches. Along a bar there are always straight and wavy lines of "ob" (water). Zardevor personifies peaceful nature, good neighborhood, beauty of life. Syuzane is embroidered by hand, it has several traditional compositions and color solutions which embroideresses never retreat from. Syuzane is the most considerable, on sizes, decorative embroidery, it does not yield to the carpet in its artistic dignities. It is embroidered on karbos, sateen or silk, almost always placed on lining and edged by black cloth or lace. Mostly famous is a spaceless composition with one large rosette stretched with the height of the whole syuzane or a composition of six-nine rosettes located in strict symmetry. Sometimes instead of rosettes there are used motives of various bushes. The latest are especially often met in Leninabad, Isfara and Kanibadam goods. The whole composition of syuzane is necessarily completed by a wide smart border. By the character of images, ways of implementation and color of syuzane, as well as other types of the embroideries, syuzane have their brightly expressed features in each region of the republic. One of most beautiful in Tajikistan can be considered Ura-Tyube syuzane. They attract by a special peculiarity and strike by unusual monumentalness of solution both of separate forms of pattern and composition on the whole. Combination of paints built mainly on their sharp contrast sometimes simply dazzles by unusual brightness and boldness of color. Here are two types of syuzane: early ones for which there is peculiar a shallow decorative ornament embroidered by continuous dense stitch (that can be seldom met), and late ones, of our time, with a large laconic pattern. Syuzane belonging to the 40-ies are very interesting. They have a composition consisting of nine large rosettes each of which is a difficult many-tier pattern of flower character. Lilac-cherry polypetalous rosettes with pink flowers in the middle are bordered by rings ornamented by the same flowers. Around the rosettes there are wide white stems with large juicy leaves. Between the rosettes there are blue flowerets and yellow trefoils and red flowers toji hurus (“cockscomb”). The edge of syuzane is bordered by narrow lace consisting of curling white stem with flowers toji hurus mixed with yellow fivepetalous flowerets. A black background effectively shades the whole image of embroidery. The monumentalness and laconism of expression are felt in the whole composition: it is promoted by a strict rhythm of large lilac-cherry rosettes and small blue flowerets as well as brave silhouettes of powerful white stems. Very original and characteristic for Ura-Tyube syuzane with one large rosette (popular both century back and our time) located on the whole syuzane. Emotional impact of similar composition on a man is difficult to over-estimate. Numerous rings comprising this rosette usually contrasting in color against the background of embroidery (black to white, red to black, claret to yellow) as if approach a spectator. Due to the variety of the internal ornamental idea they create feeling of eternal stormy motion reminding a living trembling body. It is especially felt in such embroidered compositions that they are done by hand but not by a machine. This gives every good some unique charm. It is possible to look over ten, hundreds identical pictures of embroideries, and each of them will be filled with a special aroma. Large-scale pictures of Ura-Tyube syuzane, their massive image sharply contradicts light, delicate Kanibadam, Leninabad, Isfara and Asht compositions. Here is no monumentalness which strikes in Ura-Tyube syuzane. But the grace of patterns, their ornamental motives, their smooth and even location on fabric, unusual multi-coloredness are very pleasant by their colorfulness and festivity. Basic ornamental motive here is also plants. Various in forms and color patterns are turned into magnificent bushes, in fairy-tale bouquets thanks to a colorful fantasy of embroideresses. Bushes and bouquets make basic composition spots in these syuzanes. As well as rosettes they are placed in a strict rhythmic order by ten, eight and six rosettes in every composition. Between them there are sprigs or rosettes of flowers. Often on the field there are several (six-nine) separate bushes without any additional ornamentation around. Similar compositions are built on the principle of oriented having the “top” and “bottom”, and usually they create a feeling of rest and static. For example, on one of Kanibadam syuzanes there are twelve symmetric bushes (three ones in a row) filling the whole field with a smooth and quiet rhythm. Magnificent delicate bushes firmly “sit in earth”. Denotation of root is instrumental in this impression mainly in every bush. Such interpretation is peculiar for the whole decorative applied art of Tajikistan. Simultaneously with these quiet syuzanes there exist other quite ones also executed by Kanibadam embroideresses. So, in one of them (1950-ies) basic motive are bouquets consisting of blue, pink and white flowerets, skilfully interlaced by black frizzes of leafy stem. There are twelve bouquets of such type in syuzane. They are evenly located on the whole yellow field of embroidery, and between them there in strict symmetry to each other elegant little sprigs there are sparse flowers. These sprigs remind vortex rosettes (this motive is often met in ornamental works of many nations, especially Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Turkmen, Kazakh and Bashkir). They produce an unusual revival in the general rhythm of composition and fill the whole ornament with some elusive motion. Thus we can say that fantasy and high skills of embroideresses are unlimited. The same ornamental motive interpreted individually can look differently in the general line of the embroidered good, and produce calmness, strictness or stormy motion. Many Leninabad syuzanes are filled with joyful, playful motives. Thus, on one of them there are depicted small rosettes with one large rosette in the center on enormous (300 X 400 cm) black background. Rosettes are various not only by the internal ornamental idea but also by size that promote the impression as though composition has depth and space. This embroidery reminds starry sky. Each of rosettes is filled with ornamental patterns - yellow, white, violet, green. And due to the optical mixing of these colors the effect of bright celestial twinkling is created. Nurek syuzanes are of special interest. They have as if a double impact in the character of their composition: they have likeness with mountain embroidery and continue a line of plain embroidery differing by greater saturation of general decor. Usually small elegant flowerets and leaves evenly fillings the field of these syuzanes are in some places collected in little rosettes or sprigs; four corners of this composition are decorated with identical bushes having a symmetric structure. The favorite color here is red. It is often used in the background, in diverse tonality it is introduced into the ornamental composition. General impression made by Nurek syuzane is the same as by mosaic panel where everything is merged in general gamma of colors.
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