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ZOROASTRIAN BRIDAL
CHADORSHAB
KASIMABAD, IRAN, CIRCA 1930
Handspun and handwoven silk warp and weft,
natural and synthetic dyes
69 x 72.5 in (175.4 x 184.6 cm)
$ 6,065 - 9,095
Rs 4,00,000 - 6,00,000
Brightly woven silk
chador-shabs
were part of the
textilesmade for a Zoroastrian bride. Elaboratelywoven
in six strips joined across the back, the present lot is
adorned with a range of geometric designs in various
shapes with a large square in the centre. Surrounded
by smaller squares, arranged in neat rows, with some
holding a stepped diamond and others a conical tree
with its trunk rooted in the ground. Other figurative
elements include a row of men mounted on horses
towards the upper register, and below them a line of
black and white figures that may represent women.
Scattered throughout are birds, in pairs or alone.
This
chador-shab
would have been worn by the bride
as a shoulder-mantle or used to wrap her personal
clothes. Jasleen Dhamija acquired this piece in 1974
from the daughter of a weaver who had had used it as
part of her bridal trousseau.