Square woven shawl with a red ground and a dense arrangement of elongated paisley and floral motifs in red, yellow, green, white, and blue. Elongated paisley shapes form two-pronged forks surrounding a central eight-pointed star. Center is a field of undecorated red. Thin paisley forms in mirrored pairs with outwardly curled tops fill the spaces in-between the prongs. Rounded L shapes mirror the corners of the shawl. A scalloped garland-like border encompasses the central motif. Exterior border is formed by a floral pattern that appears like a string of beads. Border of multicolored bands with coordinated fringe at top and bottom.

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Object Timeline

1980	We acquired this object.
2013	We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object. We photographed this object.
2017	We photographed this object.
2019	We exhibited this object.
2024	You found it!

Shawl (India)

This is a Shawl. It is dated 1855–1875 and we acquired it in 1980. Its medium is wool and its technique is woven and embroidered. It is a part of the Textiles department.

While hand-woven shawls were considered higher quality, embroidered shawls, which were quicker and less expensive to produce, fulfilled growing demand. A close look at the patterns of this shawl will reveal the needlework process utilized to mimic the latest woven fashions.

This object was donated by Mrs. John Rolph. It is credited Bequest of Dorothy Franklin Rolph.

Its dimensions are

H x W: 246.4 × 215.3 cm (8 ft. 1 in. × 7 ft. 3/4 in.)

Cite this object as

Shawl (India); wool; H x W: 246.4 × 215.3 cm (8 ft. 1 in. × 7 ft. 3/4 in.); Bequest of Dorothy Franklin Rolph; 1980-38-5

This object was previously on display as a part of the exhibition Paisley.

Short URL http://cprhw.tt/o/2DpG8/
Accession Number 1980-38-5
Object ID 18615339