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Narrative

Although this textile was collected in Afghanistan, its origin was more likely to have been the Hazara region of the Swat Valley, Pakistan, rather than the Hazara region of central Afghanistan, based on the style of embroidery. This is based on a comparison of photographic examples published in relevant reference works.

Description

Loose fitting shirt or tunic made from densely embroidered white-on-white textile and embellished with panels of multi-coloured silk embroidery at the shoulder yoke (front and back) and wrists. The textile used to construct the shirt has been embroidered overall with matching light weight yarns in a variegated vertical stripe pattern, using a counted thread technique, before the garment was cut and sewn. The panels of embroidery on the shoulders and wrists are worked in multi-coloured silk thread, using a satin stitch, to form geometric patterns that are predominantly red, outlined with black or green. The simple round neck and front slit opening are trimmed with black cotton textile, piped with red and embellished with decorative machine stitching. There is a small ball button and loop at the neck. The sleeves are wide and straight. The garment hangs loosely from the shoulders and is A-line in shape. The hem is piped with red cotton textile; there are two side slits at the hemline.