JEWELLED TEXTILES

Textiles embellished with gold
and silver have been cherished worldwide since antiquity. In the Indian
subcontinent too, the use of metal to enhance the value and beauty of cloth
is part of an ancient tradition. Jewelled Textiles: Gold and Silver Embellished
Cloth of India presents a rich selection of textiles and dresses ornamented
with precious metals gold and silver.These textiles have been associated with
wealth, supremacy, ceremony and divinity in the subcontinent. Gold and silver
embroidery in India is remarkable for the styles in which the threads are
manipulated to produce results on cloth surfaces, enhancing the character of
the textile through ornamentation. The raw materials, techniques of surface
application, and the nal effects thus created are unique to different regions
in the country where embroidery techniques and printing with precious metals
are classi ed by the local terminology. Techniques by which metals are
applied to textile surface, like Kamdani or Badla in Lucknow, Tilla in Jammu
and Kashmir and parts of Western India, Danka and Gota Patti in Rajasthan,
Zardozi and Vasli in Bhopal, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Delhi and other centres in
Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat, Mukke Ka Kaam in Rajasthan and Gujarat
and Varak from different parts of the country, are described in detail and
illustrated with examples of skillfully executed pieces from museums and
private collections.