Indian subcontinent

Indian subcontinent

Photograph of two embroidery salesmen (?) in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London. The photograph was made in 1891. The text on the photograph says "embroiderers", but this may be wrong.

Vata chikan embroidery is a style of work from the Jammu and Kashmir region in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent.

The British Museum in London houses a wedding shawl (abochhini) from the Thar desert or beyond, in southern Pakistan. It is made of cotton and decorated with silk thread embroidery (chain stitch) and shisha work. The shawl measures 255 x 135 cm. The object was acquired in 1984.

The Victoria and Albert Museum in London houses a sandalwood box that is decorated with porcupine quills. The box dates to about AD 1855 and was made in Vizagapatam, along the east coast of India. It also includes pieces of buffalo horn and ivory. The box is 23.5 cm high, 33.5 cm wide, and 24 cm deep. The box was apparently made for a Western market, and in particular for the Exposition Universelle in Paris, in 1855.

Zalakdozi embroidery is a style of embroidery from the Jammu and Kashmir region in the northwest of the Indian subcontinent. It is made using a chain stitch to create long and flowing designs, whereby the motifs are filled with concentric rings.

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