Important Notice

PUNJAB, CIRCA 1930
Handspun and handwoven cotton, hand embroidered with untwisted silk thread, natural dyes
50.25 x 94.25 in (128 x 240 cm)

The finely embroidered all-over patterned Chanderma Bagh or the 'Moon Garden' is a specialty of West Punjab. White diamonds are enclosed by a neatly divided lattice arrangement.The principles that go into the aesthetics of a bagh are at work here: the subtle manipulation of light by the silk threads as well as the variations in the direction of the stitches. The white produces a luminous glow in various shades of grey, ivory and offwhite as the light plays upon it. The stitches are placed diagonally and vertically to produce a rich textured effect. The result is a cloth that transcends what cotton or silk alone can do and takes on a glossy and voluptuous quality. The textile has a brilliant effect, imitating the sheen of the moon's surface. Across this expanse of white the embroiderer has deliberately "scarred" the surface with a black section. This is a nazar buti, or an imperfection that guards perfect happiness by warding off the evil eye.

PUNJAB, CIRCA 1930
Handspun and handwoven cotton, hand embroidered with untwisted silk thread, natural dyes
50.25 x 94.25 in (128 x 240 cm)

The finely embroidered all-over patterned Chanderma Bagh or the 'Moon Garden' is a specialty of West Punjab. White diamonds are enclosed by a neatly divided lattice arrangement.The principles that go into the aesthetics of a bagh are at work here: the subtle manipulation of light by the silk threads as well as the variations in the direction of the stitches. The white produces a luminous glow in various shades of grey, ivory and offwhite as the light plays upon it. The stitches are placed diagonally and vertically to produce a rich textured effect. The result is a cloth that transcends what cotton or silk alone can do and takes on a glossy and voluptuous quality. The textile has a brilliant effect, imitating the sheen of the moon's surface. Across this expanse of white the embroiderer has deliberately "scarred" the surface with a black section. This is a nazar buti, or an imperfection that guards perfect happiness by warding off the evil eye.