Currently not on view
Currently not on view
Rather than the usual geometric patterns, this bagh (garden) phulkari displays rows of totas (common ring-neck parrots) alternating with pigeons and other birds. Baghs were the most expensive and labor-intensive type of phulkari to produce, thanks to the solid embroidery that covers their surface, done primarily in costly imported silk thread. Often a woman could afford to buy only a little thread at a time. This resulted in a single bagh having threads from different dye lots, each slightly varying in color. Here the shades of orange-gold on the background add visual richness, but also reveal the artist’s sacrifice of money and time.
Currently not on view
Title: | Tota Bagh Phulkari |
Date: | First half of the 20th century |
Artist: | Artist/maker unknown, Punjabi |
Medium: | Handspun cotton plain weave (khaddar) with silk and cotton embroidery in darning, buttonhole, and chain stitches |
Dimensions: | 7 feet 8 3/4 inches × 56 inches (235.6 × 142.2 cm) |
Classification: | Textiles |
Credit Line: | The Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Phulkari Collection |
Accession Number: | 2017-9-17 |
Geography: | Made in Punjab, eastern Punjab, India, Asia |
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Currently not on view