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

Wire

ca. 1855 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Hyderabad (made)

Bundle of flattened silver wire.


Object details

Categories
Textiles
India Museum
Object type
Wire
Materials and techniques
Silver wire, flattened
Silver Wire
Flattened
Drawn
Brief description
Textile, flattened silver wire, Hyderabad, ca. 1855
Physical description
Bundle of flattened silver wire.
Dimensions
  • Bundle length: 11cm
  • Wire width: 1.5mm (approx.)
Marks and inscriptions
'MADRAS TARIFF./ENG NAME. Silver wire [indecipherable word]/SYN./TAMIL./PRODUCE OR MANUFACTURE. Hyderabad/PRICE PER. [crossed out] 1 R-10 As. 9 [indecipherable word; possibly piece]/WHERE PROCURABLE. Bayan/USAGE./REMARKS.' (Printed and handwritten paper label, attached to object. )
Gallery label
  • SILVER AND GOLD For lavish decoration, embroiderers use thin strips of silver or gilded silver (zari), sequins and metal foil, often with tiny pearls. Yarn made of silk thread wrapped with silver (or gilded silver) can be woven or used for embroidery. Metal strips interwoven with silk produce luxurious shiny fabric or ribbon (gota) which can be applied onto cloth. Silver weave Cotton warp and silver weft Murshidabad, West Bengal, about 1850 V&A: 0708 (IS) Golden weave Gilded silver warp and silk weft Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, about 1855 V&A: 0695 (IS) Panel with mankolam (paisley) pattern Silk, metal-wrapped thread, sequins, pearls, silver strips Triplicane, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, 1855–79 V&A: 6502 (IS) Silver and gilded silver embellishments Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh/Telangana, and Ahmedabad, Gujarat, about 1855 V&A: 6293; 6345; 6346; 6354; 05954:1 to 3; 05939:1, 2 (IS)(03/10/2015-10/01/2016)
Object history
Transferred from India Museum 1879. Slip book entry notes that object was purchased.
Historical context
Intended for use in embellishments for textiles.
Other number
648 - India Museum Slip Book
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
05939:1/(IS)

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O472101/wire-unknown/
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