106-107 / 168
104
105
59
BALUCHARI SARI WITH WOMAN
SMOKING HOOKAH
Woven by M Jaffar Ali
VARANASI, UTTAR PRADESH, CIRCA 1962
Handspun and handwoven silk, synthetic dyes
212.75 x 43.75 in (541 x 111.7 cm)
$ 1,520 - 3,035
Rs 1,00,000 - 2,00,000
Displaying mastery of the art learnt from his father,
the present lot is an early Baluchari sari woven by M
Jaffar Ali, son of Ali Hasan, as part of the late 1950s
revival movement. The sari contains a central motif of
the ‘Tree of Life.' Multiple patterns of a seated female
figure smoking a hookah enclosed in a
mehrab
or
niche, with a hanging lamp are intricately rendered.
Wearing a long skirt and full-sleeved blouse the figure
sits straight, appearing almost constrained in her
western-style boots. The
hookah
beside her resembles
a stylised musical note. Rich in design and elegance, in
shades of brown and pink, the present lot creates the
texture and shaded colour effect that Balucharis are
famous for.