Phulkari Shawl with Stylized Bagh Tara (four-part flower) Designs in 45 Squares on central field / India, Eastern Punjab
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 2005/2.11
- Title
- Phulkari Shawl with Stylized Bagh Tara (four-part flower) Designs in 45 Squares on central field
- Artist
- India, Eastern Punjab
- Artist Nationality
- Indian
- Medium and Support
- homespun cotton cloth with silk embroidery
- Object Creation Date
- 1st half of 20th century
- Object Creation Place
- Asia (continent)
- India (nation)
- Punjab (state)
- Creation Place 1
- Asia (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- India (nation)
- Creation Place 3
- Punjab (state)
- Dimensions
- 226.5 cm x 124.4 cm (89 3/16 in. x 49 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Textile
- Primary Object Type
- embroidery
- Secondary Object Classification
- Costume and Costume Accessory
- Physical Description
- Embroidery on a plain cotton fabric (khaddar). Red-orange khaddar with neon orange, green, white and red accents which make up the bagh tara (four-part flower) design.
- Subject Matter
- The Punjab region is known for these brilliant embroideries that can function as head coverings, wall hangings, or dresses. The name phulkari, meaning “flower working,” was given to them for their beautiful and intricate embroidered designs. A folk art handed down among women for generations, young girls would begin learning phulkari from their mothers, often participating in village stitching circles. Phulkari are embroidered with stylized designs of motifs like flowers and birds with ample space left between them to allow vibrant patches of the base fabric to show through. This is commonly brick red, an auspicious color associated with shakti (power) and the mother goddess. For a momentous occasion like a wedding, the entire surface of the phulkari would be covered with embroidery. This type of phulkari is called a bagh. From the time a young girl begins to learn phulkari, she hones her skills and works towards creating her wedding bagh, and it is said that she stitches into it her hopes and dreams for marriage. Though the tradition of phulkari embroidery nearly disappeared in the late twentieth century, the designs have recently become an international fashion trend.
- Secondary Keywords
- accessories worn on the head
- asia (continent)
- costume accessories
- costume accessories worn
- costume by form
- costumes
- dresses
- dresses by function
- embroidery
- geographic and political locations
- main garments
- objects we use
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 3456 x 5184
- File Size
- 808 KB
- Record
- 2005/2.11
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2005-sl-2.11/2005_2.11.jpg
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- Full citation
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"Phulkari Shawl with Stylized Bagh Tara (four-part flower) Designs in 45 Squares on central field; India, Eastern Punjab." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-2005-sl-2.11/2005_2.11.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 19, 2024.
