Shawl

Blue-green shawl with paisley pear motif design painted on in gold paint. Dyed, plain-weave cotton printed using the khari technique. Design is applied with roghan (an adhesive mixture) mixed with metallic powders such as ground mica or glitter, and stenciled on with a brass stencil (sancha). This method is a much more cost-effective imitation of both zardozi embroidery and amru brocade (see object no. 88-16-40 in our collection). The design of the field consists of small alternating dots and floral motifs (butti). The pallu (end piece) contains two bands of butas in neat rows. The butas closer to the field (first row) are smaller and more squat, while those in the second row are larger and have a more pronounced curving tip.