Wire thumbnail 1
Not on display

Wire

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

Bundle of flattened gold wire.

Object details

Categories
Textiles
India Museum
Object type
Wire
Materials and techniques
Gold wire, flattened
Gold Wire
Gold
Drawn
Flattened
Brief description
Textile, flattened gold wire, Ahmedabad, ca. 1855
Physical description
Bundle of flattened gold wire.
Dimensions
  • Bundle length: 15cm (approx.)
  • Wire width: <1mm
Gallery label
(03/10/2015-10/01/2016)
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)
Object history
Transferred from India Museum 1879.
Historical context
Intended for use in embellishments for textiles.
Other number
8000 - India Museum Slip Book
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
6293(IS)

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O480504/wire-unknown/
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