VERY LARGE OTTOMAN METAL-THREAD EMBROIDERED GREEN SILK PANTALOONS (ŞALVAR) LATE 19TH / EARLY 20TH CENTURY the green silk ground embroidered with repeat boteh and stylised floral motifs (the waistband: 140cm wide) Qty: (1) Provenance: Private collection of a notable Ottoman family in London. The collection is from a notable Ottoman land-owning family, that married over generations into the Sultans’ court. Some were judges, civil servants and vizirs in the Damascus vilayet, as well as members of parliament to the Sublime Porte. Note: It is rare for these types of pantaloons to remain complete in their original state. They were worn by both men and women and were considered very fashionable during the 19th century under the Ottomans. They were worn gathered up at the waist with a tight-fitting belt. For further examples in the Sadberk Hanim Museum, see Lale Gӧrünür, Women’s Costume of the late Ottoman Era, Istanbul 2010, nos. 39 – 45.