Antique Silk Embroidered Traditional Wedding Shawl : C20th Gujarat, India

Item Details.

Dating from the late 19th early 20th century, a fine example of a traditional silk embroidered wedding shawl or cover from Gujarat, India. (Thanks to the wonderful John Gillow who’s textile knowledge seems infinite and to whom I always run when I have a relevant question)

Hand embroidered with floss silk roundels onto a cream silk satin ground and finished with a magenta silk satin border.

This shawl is embroidered in magenta pink silks with emerald green, dark indigo blue and terracotta.

In good condition considering the age of this antique wedding shawl, a couple of the darker roundels have some slight colour run.

Measurements: 132cm W X 190cm L

Given that many of these shawls are found in Britain rather than the sub continent, it could be construed that these delicate and vulnerable shawls were quickly worn out in Sindh whereas, those that were shipped out to Britain via Karachi and the British Raj, survived.