Fragment of a Shawl Border
Unknown Artist
c. 1815–25
Medium
wool and silk: tapestry twill
Dimensions
35.9 × 40.3 cm · mounted: 54 × 58.4 cm
Classification
Textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Cleveland Museum of Art
Credit
Gift of Dr. E. Rosencrantz
Accession Number
1934.330
About this artwork
Many Kashmiri textiles, even those from the early 1800s, come down to us in fragments. This shawl border was once a part of a larger piece, which could have simply been draped over the body or stitched to the hem of a garment (as many European women did). Owning and wearing such luxury textiles would have been part of indicating one’s social status. Although incomplete, this work still shows the general pattern of the larger shawl, and it retains its vibrant and hypnotizing original color. Dyes ...