Not currently on display at the V&A

Sari

1962-1980s (made)
Place of origin

This elegant sari is part of the wardrobe of Masood Mumtaz Ali Khan (1918 – 2001). She was a woman of status who mixed in the highest levels of society and acquired a collection of clothes that reflected her position, as well as the changing styles in saris between the 1940s and 1980s. Women from India’s wealthy families began to wear saris made of French chiffon from the 1950s. Parisian companies produced chiffon in sari lengths to cater for this lucrative market. Plain chiffon saris were embroidered in India or Pakistan and worn for special occasions and floral printed chiffons were purchased for everyday wear.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Silk chiffon, embroidery
Brief description
Sari of white chiffon with a delicate pattern hand-embroidered in shades of purple and mauve. Probably embroidered in Karachi, Pakistan, 1962-80s
Physical description
This chiffon sari has an all-over delicate floral pattern which has been hand-embrodiered in shades of purple and mauve.
Dimensions
  • Length: 500cm (approximate)
  • Height: 110cm (approximate)
Credit line
Gifted by Shalaleh Barlow and Mizra Faisal Anwar Qadir
Object history
This sari was worn by Masood Mumtaz Ali Khan (1918 - 2001), the daughter of the niece of the Begum of Bhopal Sultan Jahan who ruled the princely state between 1901 and 1926. There was a close friendship between Masood and the titular ruler Sajida Sultan (1915-1995), the granddaughter of Sultan Jahan. They were also close to Gayatri Devi, Maharani of Jaipur (1919-2009) who was of the same generation. This sari is one of a group gifted to the museum by Masood’s daughter and son.
Summary
This elegant sari is part of the wardrobe of Masood Mumtaz Ali Khan (1918 – 2001). She was a woman of status who mixed in the highest levels of society and acquired a collection of clothes that reflected her position, as well as the changing styles in saris between the 1940s and 1980s. Women from India’s wealthy families began to wear saris made of French chiffon from the 1950s. Parisian companies produced chiffon in sari lengths to cater for this lucrative market. Plain chiffon saris were embroidered in India or Pakistan and worn for special occasions and floral printed chiffons were purchased for everyday wear.
Collection
Accession number
IS.1504-2019

About this object record

Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.

You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.

Suggest feedback

Record createdDecember 23, 2019
Record URL
Download as: JSON