Shawl or scarf of embroidered cashmere (pashm), Kashmir, ca. 1780

Shawl (Lungi) of white cashmere (pashm) embroidered in threads of coloured goat's wool. The sides are protected with narrow borders of loom-woven pashmina. Each end is embroidered with the same pattern. It consists of repetitions in horizontal rows of delicate spray of pink flowers over an arcade and flower border. Floral sprays frame the centre, and in which each angle has a single floral cone.

Given by Miss M.K. Lawrence, The Little House, Wellington College Station, Berks

Shawls were woven entirely by hand. Each colour of yarn was wound on a small bobbin and manipulated backwards and forwards through the fixed warp(lengthwise) threads to build up the design. Where the different colour areas met, the two yarns were interlocked, producing a characteristic ridge on the back of the fabric. The process of weaving a large shawl, often with a highly complex design, was slow, specialised, laborious work, taking anything from eighteen months to three years to complete.

Given by Miss M.K. Lawrence, The Little House, Wellington College Station, Berks. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project.

R.P. 1920-6062

Though Kashmir shawls are worn and used as a warm protective garment all over north India today, Kashmir has become synonymous with shawls all over the world. The shawl became a popular fashion item in the nineteenth century with its sudden migration from the foothills of the Himalayas to the salons of early nineteenth-century Europe.

IM.212-1920