Not currently on display at the V&A

Sari

c.1855 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Vetapalem (made)
Andhra Pradesh (made)

This simple sari fabric has few embellishments apart from its unassuming weft ikat and check pattern. The 'pallav' contains horizontal bands in red and yellow and a thin band of silver-wrapped thread marking the end of the sari. Vetapalam (Ventapollam), Andra Pradesh was a major centre for the manufacture of the checked handkerchiefs that were a mainstay of the British East India Company's textile trade. This simple squared pattern of this sari is close to that of a handkerchief.


Object details

Categories
Textiles
SCRAN
Womenswear
India Museum
Object type
Sari
Materials and techniques
Cotton weft ikat
Cotton
Silver
Weaving
Brief description
Fragment of a woman's wrapped garment (sari), navy blue cotton patterend with ikat sari, Vetapalem, Andra Pradesh, c.1855.
Physical description
This simple sari fabric has few embellishments apart from its unassuming weft ikat and check pattern. The 'pallav' contains horizontal bands in red and yellow and a thin band of silver-wrapped thread marking the end of the sari. Vetapalam (Ventapollam), Andra Pradesh was a major centre for the manufacture of the checked handkerchiefs that were a mainstay of the British East India Company's textile trade. This simple squared pattern of this sari is close to that of a handkerchief.
Dimensions
  • Length: 65in
  • Width: 39.5in
Object history
Transferred from the India Museum in 1879. Swatches from the original textile appear in John Forbes Watson’s The Textile Manufactures of India (1866), vol.V, no.184.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Indian ikat textiles / Rosemary Crill. London: V&A Publications, 1998 Number: 1851772421 p. 15, pl. 14 Ikat is a type of weaving where the threads are tie-dyed before weaving to create designs on the finished fabric. The dyeing process begins with binding the resist areas with impermeable yarn or rubber bands. The precision of the wrapping determines the clarity of the design. After wrapping, the threads are dyed, but the areas under the ties retain their original colour. Numerous colours can be added after additional wrappings. When the dyeing process is complete, the warp threads are meticulously arranged on the loom to prepare the design. The natural movement during weaving gives ikat designs their characteristic feathered edge. Techniques with matching patterns on warp and weft are called double ikat.
  • Watson, J. Forbes, and Great Britain. India Office. The Textile Manufactures of India. India Office, 1866. 'INDIAN FABRICS. / No.184 / WOMAN'S GARMENT. / Cotton: Common material. / Length 8 yards; width 1 yard 3 inches; weight 1 lb. 12 oz.; price 3s 9d. / From VENTAPOLLAM; bought in MADRAS. / Prov.No.15.'
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
7971(IS)

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Record createdSeptember 24, 2002
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O67860/sari-unknown/
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