Shawl

ca. 1870

This shawl, which is in excellent condition, is representative of a class of Indian textiles identified as “woven and pieced,” generally using five or six different woven fragments cut variously into the main design elements and carefully sewn together. Because several looms (and weavers) could be employed weaving small pieces of the overall pattern, these shawls could be produced quickly—and inexpensively. The pieced-together nature of the textile recalls the Japanese kesa and the Korean bojagi, both assembled from fragments of textiles to create a single, patchwork whole.

Wool cloth with embroidery

78 x 78"

Gift of Mrs. Virginia Van Ness

92.20

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Luminous: The Art of Asia, Oct. 13, 2011 - Jan. 8, 2012.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Mood Indigo: Textiles from Around the World, Apr. 9 - Oct. 9, 2016.

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

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