Mashru thumbnail 1
Mashru thumbnail 2
+6
images
On display
Image of Gallery in South Kensington

This object consists of 9 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

Mashru

ca. 1855 (made)
Place of origin

Fragments of a length of mashru: warp faced in silk, hidden weft in cotton. Discontiuous supplementary weft in silk (brocading) in design of small, single green stems with blossoms in red and white on a bright yellow ground.

Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 9 parts.
(Some alternative part names are also shown below)
  • Mashru
  • Textile
  • Textile
  • Textile
  • Textile
  • Textile
  • Textile
  • Textile
  • Textile
  • Textile
Materials and techniques
Warp-faced silk and cotton (mashru)
Brief description
Textile in large fragments, woven cotton and silk (mashru), yellow ground with flowers in red, white and green, Hyderabad, ca. 1855; Textiles
Physical description
Fragments of a length of mashru: warp faced in silk, hidden weft in cotton. Discontiuous supplementary weft in silk (brocading) in design of small, single green stems with blossoms in red and white on a bright yellow ground.
Dimensions
  • Width: 80cm
Gallery label
(01/08/2017)
LENGTH OF MASHRU
Woven silk and cotton
Hyderabad, Deccan
c. 1855

Mashru, from an Arabic term for ‘permitted’, is a woven mix of silk and cotton. Mashru was popular with Muslims who were religiously prohibited from wearing pure silk. The cotton weft threads are hidden on the reverse of the fabric while the silk warp threads lie on the front, giving the impression of pure silk. Hyderabad was renowned for superior mashru weaving.
Object history
Transferred from India Museum 1879. Slip book entry 3084: 'Satin Cotton Back / Mushroo / Hyderabad bought in Madras / 1855 / Yellow with flowers of Green and Crimson'
Other number
3084 - India Museum Slip Book
Collection
Accession number
0295(IS)

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
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