WOVEN TREASURES: TEXTILES FROM THE JASLEEN DHAMIJA COLLECTION (19-20 OCTOBER 2016)

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34
SKIRT BORDER AND BLOUSE
WITH FLORAL EMBROIDERY
ABDASA, KUTCH, CIRCA 1930
a) Handspun and handwoven tie-dyed cotton,
hand embroidered with cotton thread, mirrors
Length 24 in (61.2 cm), Sleeve span 18.25 in (46.7
b) Handspun and handwoven tie-dyed cotton, han
embroidered with cotton thread
29 x 185 in (74 x 470 cm)
$ 4,550 - 6,065
Rs 3,00,000 - 4,00,000
(Set of two)
Abdasa lies on the western edge of Kutch, largely i
by the Bhanushalis, a farming community who
from Sindh. The women wear gathered cotton skir
drawstring waist, a short blouse and an odhni. The
usually elaborately embroidered by the women, an e
of their creativity that ties them into the wider circl
Abdasa, reflecting their traditions and heritage.
This skirt border, known as a ghaghrapat with its
blouse or choli is richly embroidered with floral motifs and
architectonic symbolism, and abundantly embellished with
small mirrors. Acquired in Kutch by Jasleen Dhamija, textiles
such as these are seldom made these days as the women
no longer embroider and have taken to wearing mill-made
synthetic fabrics.
b
33
ODHNI WITH
GEOMETRIC PATTERNS
AND SKIRT BORDERS
WITH ARCHITECTURAL
MOTIF
KUTCH, CIRCA 1930
a) Handspun and handwoven
khadi fabric, hand embroidered
with cotton thread, natural
dyes, mirrors
54 x 82.5 in (139 x 210 cm)
b) Handspun and handwoven
khadi fabric, hand embroidered
with cotton thread, natural
dyes, mirrors
16.75 x 125.5 in (43 x 319 cm)
c) Handspun and handwoven
khadi fabric, hand embroidered
with cotton thread, natural
dyes, mirrors
16.5 x 66.75 in (42 x 170 cm)
$ 6,065 - 9,095
Rs 4,00,000 - 6,00,000
(Set of three)
The neat and symmetrically embroidered odhni is of an extremely fine
quality. It is the work of women from the well-to-do farming communities
of Kutch. The central motif is a circle, around which a diamond is created
with lines radiating out in small mirrors. Around this are neatly arranged
patterns of squares and circles filled with mirrors, giving an ethereal
shimmer-like effect to the fabric when draped.
The two skirt borders (b and c), from Abdasa, in western Kutch, are similar in
design. At the bottom edge is a border with a row of grid-like squares each
with a crossed pattern with a central motif of a flower or a mirror. Above
this is a row of architectural forms mimicking buildings with elongated roofs,
perhaps alluding to the temple shikhar or tower form. Embroidered over this
is a row of triangles almost resembling flags or banners that sometimes hang
outside places of worship. Placed around these are small flowers and circles.
The patterns were generally block-printed on the fabric before women
embroidered them; the wooden blocks were carved by men.
a
c