Not currently on display at the V&A

Robe

ca. 1910 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This one-piece, wrap-around garment, called 'kushuthara', was the most prestigious type of apparel for women in the 20th century. It is made of three joined panels of cotton warp with supplementary weft in wild silk. This style of dress originates in the Kurto district in north central Bhutan and its patterning or kushu is found on other textiles from the same region.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cotton patterned with thrima-woven silk and cotton threads
Brief description
Portion of a woman's robe (kushuthara) of embroidered cotton with silk and cotton, Bhutan, ca. 1910
Physical description
Portion of a woman's robe (kushuthara) formed of three lengths of coarse unbleached cotton sewn together. Parallel stripes and a wide selvedge at each side are woven in red, green and yellow silk and blue cotton. The pattern of diamond-shaped geometric devices is worked by the thrima weave technique of wrapping and twining supplementary wefts of terra cotta silk and indigo blue cotton. At each end is a deep border of four broad horizontal bands of red and blue triangles and diamonds, separated by narrower bands of the swastika key pattern. With a short wrap-fringe at each end.
Dimensions
  • Width: 142cm
  • Length: 280cm
  • Length: 109in
  • Width: 55.5in
Credit line
Given by Sir C. A. Bell KCIE, CMG
Object history
Given by Sir C A Bell, K.C.I.E., C.M.G. 1933. Given to the donor by Maharaja of Bhutan in 1910.
Production
Probably from East Central Bhutan
Summary
This one-piece, wrap-around garment, called 'kushuthara', was the most prestigious type of apparel for women in the 20th century. It is made of three joined panels of cotton warp with supplementary weft in wild silk. This style of dress originates in the Kurto district in north central Bhutan and its patterning or kushu is found on other textiles from the same region.
Bibliographic reference
Myers D.K. and Bean S, From the Land of the Thunder Dragon, Textile Arts of Bhutan, London, 1994, pp.95, 227.
Collection
Accession number
IM.19-1933

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Record createdAugust 31, 2004
Record URL
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