Canopy

It was a tradition in the royal courts of the Mughals, Sikhs and even the British to use heavily embroidered Kashmiri long shawls as canopies. This piece is a fine example of that. Although not twill or kani-woven , it is a spectacular example of the more recent tradition of embroidering on pashmina. The whole madder field is sprayed with intricate butas, paisley motifs, flowering plants, geometric patterns and birds in flight, embroidered in colourful threads. The borders are embellished with long paisley motifs placed in a horizontal line along with creepers and flowering plants.