Wall hanging
(Pardah)
(20th century)
Medium
quilted silk, silk (ikat), patchwork and quilted cotton
Measurements
80.6 × 57.5 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased with funds donated by Vivien Knowles, 2012
Gallery location
Not on display
Artwork Details
Physical description
This lightly quilted silk hanging doubles as a portable prayer niche, with plain and patterned fabrics pieced together to form a rough mirhab arch. Arched architectural niches positioned in mosques to indicate the direction of Mecca, mirhab are popular decorative devices across Central Asia that reflect the importance of the Islamic faith in the region. Of plain red fabric, the arch enclosing a vibrant ikat panel decorated with bold pendant jewellery motifs. Mainly in purple, red and yellow dyes, the designs were created using the ikat technique in which warp threads are bound to resist coloured dyes, a process repeated for successive colours, prior to weaving. Lined with a patchwork of Russian printed cotton and Central Asian striped cotton fabrics.