Sari thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Sari

1997 (made)
Artist/Maker
Devi, Geeta (artist)
Devi, Urmila (artist)
Place of origin
Bihar (made)
India (made)

A Madhubani sari made from tasar cream silk showing a hand painted repetitive design of a woman standing in profile infront of a tree. The style of the painting is This indigenous motif symbolises fertility, prosperity and power.


Object details

Categories
Textiles
Clothing
Object type
Sari
Materials and techniques
Tasar silk, hand painted design.
Tussah Silk
Paint
Brief description
Sari of tasar silk, with painting by Geeta Devi and Urmila Devi, assisted by Sushila Devi, of Jitwarpur Village, Madhubani District, North Bihar, India, 1997
Physical description
A Madhubani sari made from tasar cream silk showing a hand painted repetitive design of a woman standing in profile infront of a tree. The style of the painting is This indigenous motif symbolises fertility, prosperity and power.
Style
Madhubani Folk Art
Object history
This indigenous motif was made by Geeta Devi and Urmila Devi with the assistance of Sushila Devi in Jitwarpur Village, Madhubani district, Bihar in 1997.
Historical context
In this sari, the hand-drawn design on the boarder and pallau or decorative end is in a style known as Madhubani, specific to Bihar. Madhubani paintings were traditionally used to decorate the interiors of village houses but were transferred to paper and later textiles as a means of generating income for the women painters. Madhubai painting on fabric was developed by Dastkar, a craft and development organisation in India that enabled women to develop their creativity and provide regular work. The motif of a woman under a tree symbolises fertility, power and prosperity.
Bibliographic references
  • Page, Bunny and Taylor, Louise. Handmade In India: Crafts Council, London. Alderson Brothers 1998. 38p, fig 38. ISBN870 145 75 5
  • Miller, Lesley Ellis, and Ana Cabrera Lafuente, with Claire Allen-Johnstone, eds. Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2021. ISBN 978-0-500-48065-6. This object features in the publication Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion (2021)
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
IS.2-2000

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Record createdApril 11, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O35106/sari-devi-geeta/
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