132-133 / 168
130
131
77
PATCHWORK QUILT RALLI
SINDH (NOW PAKISTAN), CIRCA 1930
Handspun and handwoven cotton, applique and patchwork,
natural dyes
45.5 x 78.5 in (116 x 200 cm)
$ 3,035 - 4,550
Rs 2,00,000 - 3,00,000
The present lot was acquired
from Sam village, near Jaisalmer,
by Jasleen Dhamija in 1958. The
colourful and striking appliqué
and patchwork quilt, is known
as a
ralli
and is used as a bed
covering.
Rallis
are a specialty of
Sindh, in the Indus Valley, where
every region and community had
a distinctive style. Sam village lay
along the trade routes between
northern India and Sindh, and
goods were carried through here
to the seaports of India and also
on to Central Asia.
An integral part of the life of
Sindh,
rallis
were made as quilted
coverings for beds and baby cots,
cushion covers, fashioned into
cradles, as well as for doorway
and wall hangings. Made by
women, they were a sign of
her workmanship and formed
a part of the belongings that
accompanied her to her new
home when she married. Many
of the geometric patterns are
said to be inspired by those
found on pottery from Pirak
and Mehrgarh, both in present
day Balochistan, dating to 4,000
BC. The present lot appears to
be the work of a very innovative
woman. Each cutwork pattern of
the square is distinctive and gives
an extraordinary variation to the
overall design of the quilt.
76
PRAYER RUG WITH BOTEHS
DEZFUL, IRAN, CIRCA 1930
Handspun and handwoven wool, natural dyes
35.25 x 53 in (90 x 135 cm)
$ 1,365 - 1,820
Rs 90,000 - 1,20,000
The Bakhtiari are nomadic
pastoralists
and
practising
Muslims, who live in the areas
west of Isfahan in Iran. Their long
migration takes from the high
Zagros Mountains down to the
plains of Khuzestan. They make
a range of textiles for their tents
and personal use. The present lot
is a prayer rug or
sajadah
, made
with the interlocked, slit-tapestry
weaving technique. The central
panel has five rows of five
botehs
each on a dark blue ground. Each
boteh
carries a central floral motif
and stands on a small mound as
if rooted in the ground. Without
a
mehrab,
which is typically
used in prayer rugs to indicate
the direction of Mecca, it is the
one-sided direction of the
botehs
that indicate to the believer
which way to place the rug while
praying. The rug is surrounded
by a characteristic border design
in tan, brick red, mustard, white,
light blue and dark brown.