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History Of Use

Hanging for a door lintel in Hindu festivals.

Iconographic Meaning

Mirror work represents arid desert environment, reflecting pinpoints of light which resemble shimmering water.

Cultural Context

festivals

Specific Techniques

The chain embroidery may be arhi bharat, which is worked with an awl with thread from below, creating a line of loops. Embroidery stitches include chain, buttonhole and cross stitch.

Description

Rectangle hanging composed of one long and one short (on left side as seen) pieces of textile, with seven pentagonal leaves stitched on one long side. The background is red cotton, lined with yellow-white cotton(?). A narrow black cotton(?) band separates the rectangle and leaves. There are three hanging loops on top corners and centre. Rectangle is heavily embroidered with varying sizes of mirrors which form eight distinct unstructured patterns. On either side of the centre is a pattern: one is on an orange embroidered background and the other is on blue. A border of closely spaced mirrors, enclosed in two undulating black lines, encloses the patterns: the top and sides of the rectangle are embroidered with multi-coloured closely spaced diamonds and inverted triangles; seven mirrored and embroidered leaves are stitched to the bottom edge. Three alternate leaves are centred with a large rectangular mirror; two of which are framed in silver coloured metal and the third one with pink metal. Two of the other leaves may represent stylized peacocks, and two have unstructured mirrored patterns. Each leaf is ordered with closely spaced mirrors enclosed in two undulating black lines. Yellow embroidery thread rayon(?) is seen throughout.