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Until the Russian invasion, most of the robe's edges and linings
were made of ikat fragments and locally block-printed cottons
known as chit. The most common traditional patterns applied
with woodblock templates to mordant-treated cottons were a repeat
of small floral or paisley shapes (1).
Most of the
inner fabrics were as brilliant as the outer ones since they were
visible when the wearer rode or walked. After the 1870s, Russian
imports, often made exclusively for the Central Asian market, abounded.
Other brightly printed manufactured cottons of Indian, Persian,
French and English origin were also traded as luxury goods.
Many old but
prized ikat robes were recycled as linings and are therefore
much older than the outer part of the coat. Linings served to enhance
the value and visual contrast of the robe.
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(1) Kate Fitz
Gibbon and Andrew Hale, Ikat: Splendid Silks of Central Asia:
the Guido Goldman Collection (Lawrence King Publishing in association
with Alan Marcuson Publishing, 1999), 14.
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