Important Notice

KASHMIR, EARLY 19TH CENTURY
Handspun and hand knitted Pashmina
14 x 22 in (36 x 56 cm)

NON-EXPORTABLE


The present lot is a rare and exceptional bolster cover (gau-takiya), with a Mughal floral design motif. Bolsters are widely used in traditional Indian seating, which takes place on a carpet spread on the floor. Bolsters were a common feature in courtly life in India as well. The present lot was acquired by Jasleen Dhamija from an intrepid shawlwalla in Delhi.

While knitting - like crochet - was widely practised in Kashmir, items made from pashmina were rare. Probably knitted by a woman, the present lot features a prominent eight-pointed red star with a rosette in the centre, on a white ground. The eight-pointed star is prevalent in most of the Muslim world and began to appear in Islamic art and architecture during the Middle Ages. The star is referred to as khatimsulayman meaning Seal of the Prophets.

Borders at either end of the piece, each have five niches bearing a flowering plant which takes the shape of a boteh. The base is grounded in what appears to be a flowering pot or a mound of earth. These are flanked by small bands of rosettes on a scrolling green vine.

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