Sari

By using a loom similar to that of the jamdani weavers of Bengal and that of the zari-brocade weavers of Benaras, the weavers of Murshidabad wove a silk-brocade sari known as Baluchar after the name of a town in the region. In most cases, the ground colour of the sari was deep purple or maroon. The borders of the sari were ornamented with floral motifs, whereas the field was usually diapered with small butis. The pallu of this genre of saris was distinguished on account of the figurative motifs such as a royal smoking a hookah or a sahib and a memsahib travelling in a coach or a railway train. The British had established silk mills in the town of Baluchar and elsewhere in Murshidabad in the 19th century, which brought about the British colonial influence on this class of saris.
In this particular piece the large pallu has a rectangular panel depicting a series of paisley motifs surrounded by figures of sahibs and memsahibs travelling in a railway coach.