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KNITTED BOLSTER COVER WITH
MUGHAL MOTIFS
KASHMIR, EARLY 19
TH
CENTURY
Handspun and hand knitted Pashmina
14 x 22 in (36 x 56 cm)
$ 7,580 - 10,610
Rs 5,00,000 - 7,00,000
NONEXPORTABLE
The present lot is a rare and exceptional bolster cover
(
gau-takiya
), with aMughal floral designmotif. Bolsters
are widely used in traditional Indian seating, which
takes place on a carpet spread on the floor. Bolsters
were a common feature in courtly life in India as well.
The present lot was acquired by Jasleen Dhamija from
an intrepid
shawlwalla
in Delhi.
While knitting – like crochet – was widely practised
in Kashmir, items made from pashmina were rare.
Probably knitted by a woman, the present lot features
a prominent eight-pointed red star with a rosette
in the centre, on a white ground. The eight-pointed
star is prevalent in most of the Muslim world and
began to appear in Islamic art and architecture during
the Middle Ages. The star is referred to as
khatim-
sulayman
meaning Seal of the Prophets.
Borders at either end of the piece, each have five niches
bearing a flowering plant which takes the shape of a
boteh
. The base is grounded in what appears to be a
flowering pot or a mound of earth. These are flanked
by small bands of rosettes on a scrolling green vine.