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Exhibition
A Dance of Light and Color:
Embroidered
and Brocaded Garments
of India
Stagger Gallery,
November 4, 1998 to September 19, 1999
Anne Bissonnette, Curator
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Shawl (dupatta)
India, Punjab, c.1950
Rust khada cotton with
orange and ivory silk floss (pat)
embroidery in phulkari
work.
Helen Ward Clark
Costume Collection Allen Memorial Art Museum,
Oberlin, Ohio
Gift of Mrs. Keith
Warner, 1962, L 1995.17.994
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Phulkari work
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embroidery from the Punjab gets its name from the words "phul" and
"kari" which translates into floral work. The earliest mention of
this type of style is found in the 18th century. The beauty of this
work is dependent on the evenness of the embroidery stitches. The
motif seen here is called "bagh tara" and is a perfect example of
pure diapering in phulkari work.
The "bagh" design is
a more elaborate development, no longer for peasant use. It is found
in the Hazara district where the Jats have converted to Islam. This
type of shawl is an important part of a woman's trousseau and is
started early in a girl's life. Women and girls traditionally gather
to embroider as they sing and learn from their elders the traditional
motifs. This important social tradition of common work is called
trinjhan. Two or three pieces can be assembled to create
a shawl. These shawls are an important symbol of conjugal happiness:
at the death of a woman who's husband is still alive, her body is
covered with these phulkari shawls to show that she was favored
with a bountiful existence.
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