Sari

It is a unique piece of textile made as a ten-yard sari, imaginatively combining the technique of ikat work, jamdani weaving as well as brocading.

The handspun yarn of the warp and weft is first tied and dyed in dark blue to produce vertical and horizontal stripes which form black and white squares on the ground. The large pallu has a beautifully designed intricate geometrical pattern enclosed within the similarly decorated borders. The small dark blue squares are filled with stars woven in jamdani technique in gold. There is a dome-like pattern running across the width at the beginning of the pallu woven also in the jamdani technique in maroon and gold, appearing very close to the Paithani pallu. The border is also in typically paithani coconut pattern in maroon and gold.

The piece is undoubtedly very carefully and elegantly designed retaining the traditional motifs and patterns, in very fine handspun and handwoven cotton fabric, known to have been made in Andhra. The starry pattern in black is a typically Deccani tradition, seen in the Chandrakala saris except for the cream colour bands, repeated four times at regular intervals in this piece. The dark blue colour of the sari is also a variation from the Chandrakala which is always black. This type of sari is generally worn on the makara sankranti day.

As it is woven by a combination of different techniques, it is difficult to ascertain the exact provenance of this sari. The interlocking technique of Paithan in Maharashtra and the ikat of Andhra Pradesh would suggest the possibility of its production by a master weaver from the Deccan.