Important Notice

Woven by M Jaffar Ali

VARANASI, UTTAR PRADESH, 1968
Handspun and handwoven silk, synthetic dyes
202.75 x 45.5 in (515 x 116 cm)


The second of Jaffar Ali's Baluchar revival period saris, the present lot is created in deep shades of maroon and has a pallav with five kalka, or the mango motif. The sari is defined by multiple images of a nawab smoking a hookah framed by a jharoka with a hanging lamp and side wall lamps. The Nawab sits on a bed and leans against a bolster. His turban is reminiscent of the Asavali pattern.

Jaffar Ali's father, Ali Hasan, was a superb artist, rendering perfect drawings that were essential for creating naqsha of a high quality. Jasleen Dhamija recalls that Hasan's desire for perfection was so great that he worried a single mistake in his drawing would lead to a defective design, which in turn would ruin the work on the loom. While Hasan's saris were exceptional and elegant, an art that few weavers can match, he trained his son to follow in his footsteps.

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