BanjaraTextiles.Com
Banjara and Kutchi Textiles
*****NOTE: New items added May 19, 2003****
Contact Chris Parker
Email Address cparker@vsnl.com or jlpwolf@aol.com
Prices do not include shipping and insurance.
If you are interested in any of the textiles listed, please contact me at the above email address and I can provide additional information on textiles. Prices are included at the end of each description.
#400
This is a beautiful old rare embroidered gun cover from the Sind area of Pakistan. Approx. 47 x 7.5 inches (at its widest). This is an extremely rare and beautiful piece of embroidery from the Sind, probably made for and owned by a Raj or wealthy person of importance. Both sides are fully embroidered. One side is covered almost entirely in cross-stitch and the other side is mostly cross-stitch along with several other stitch types. The case is lined with leather and the end folds shut with a button closure. The condition is excellent. I'll let the photos speak. I've never seen one published quite like this.
Overall, this is a fantastic old textile. It's hard to find a piece of this quality, and it's exceptionally well-executed. Now I'm happy to offer it for your textile collection. I'm sure you'll be very pleased if you're the new owner. Price $395
To see more photos of #400 click here.
#334
This is a special old Banjara Indian textile man's dowry bag. The bag is approximately 22 x 7 inches when open. This is an exemplary dowry bag lovingly embroidered by a bride-to-be for her groom. This piece is executed in several types of stitches including, chain, running a flat stitches that cover the entire surface, also includes fine mirror work. Beautiful colors including yellow, navy, gold, burgundy, salmon, and white. The embroidery is in very good condition. The back side of the embroidery has been quilted with a running quilt stitch. It is very well executed and the dyes are bright, clear and quite lovely. This is a rare, hard-to-find, much sought-after Banjara embroidery. 2 small nips from the edge of the bag have been sewn up and stabilized in the field (see photo). There's one small dirty area about 1 inch square in the center that I have not tried to clean. Looks like only dirt. This is a very good thing and I expect that the new owner will be happy with this textile. Lots of photos so please be patient. Price $90
To see more photos of #334 click here.
#393
This is an old embroidered square coverlet or pillow cover, 27 x 26 inches, from the Kutch region of India. The textile is in very good condition and is excellently rendered mainly in one of my favorite stitches known as the "moochi stitch" or ari stitch to create an extremely attractive design with stylized floral forms. Red handloomed cottom background cloth. The embroiderer used a nice color palette, and fine stitches and created a wonderful visual impact. The embroidery is generally in excellent condition. There is a 2 inch by 1 inch spot that has been patched and re-embroidered. Also a small area of wear and dirt at the center bottom. See the photos. This is a nice thing. Could be used as a pillow cover, wall decoration or framed and spotlit. Enjoy. Nice old Moochi work is getting harder to find. Price $90
To see more photos of #393 click here.
#406
This is an unusual and attractive older Kutchi Embroidery that was used as a walling hanging or "Toran." The textiles is 10 inches wide and 72 inches long. At first I thought that the textile was from the hem of a skirt, but my source insists that it's a wall decoration to be hung vertically beside an entrance. The lattice design is very nice and the embroidery work is excellent. Lots of peacocks and flowers. My photos are a little dark and not so great for this textile. It looks better in person. It will look great displayed in any room in your home or office. Excellent condition. Put it on your wall and enjoy. Price $125 SOLD
To see more photos of #406 click here.
#395
This is a pair of unusual embroidered ceremonial covers for a cows horns, 21 inches long and 8 inches wide at the end, from the Kutch region of Gujarat. Attractive and colorful motifs embroidered on black cotton background cloth. I don't see many of these, especially this nice and still paired together. The embroidery is in very good condition, but is missing several mirrors. One of the covers has a 2 x 2 inch rip at the tip on the back of one side, probably from the horn tip poking through (see photo). This is a very nice, rare and unusual set of textiles. Be the only kid on your block with a pair of these. Price $95
To see more photos of #395 click here.
#280
This is an old embroidered blouse or choli from Kutch India, most likely Rabar worki. This textile is a beautiful old Kutchi (Indian) embroidered blouse or choli. The choli is 39 inches from sleeve tip to sleeve tip, 19 inches from top to bottom, and 14 inches across in the center of the choli. The brugundy material on the top is a satiny-silk tie-dyed fabric. The mirror work and embroidery on the sleeves, bottom and sides are typical Rabari style, beautifully rendered on a green satiny-silk material. The bead and shell tassel ties are especially nice and well made . The choli is backless and would probably be a women's size 2-6. The choli is in excellent condition all over. This is a very attractive piece of old kutchi threadwork that will please the new owner. Price $90
To see more photos of #280 click here.
#304
This is a beautiful old Kutchi Embroidered Sword Cover, from the Rabari community, 29 x 4.5 inches (not including the beaded tassels on the edges. The textile is a ceremonial sword cover used in a Rabari wedding, attractively embroidered in chain stitch and mirror work with a nice fringe of beads, shells and tassels. Light green satin mashru material on one side and red satin mashru material on the other side. The textiles is fully embroidered on both sides (see the photos). It's an unusual, somewhat rare, and well-made textile from Gujarat. $120 SOLD
To see more photos of #304 click here.
#363
This is an old Banjara Indian textile ceremonial cloth known as a galla that is used to cover the nape of a Banjara woman's neck. 9 x 15 inches. This colorful piece is made of applique work that covers the entire textile. Overall the embroidery is in very good condition. A few cowrie shells are missing. This is the only galla that I've ever seen that is made of applique designs like this. Nice playful, abstract designs. Price $90
To see more photos of #363 click here.
#210
Old embroidered dress or choli front from Kutch India. This textile is a beautiful old piece of Kutchi (Indian) embroidered dress or choli front. The choli is 15.5 x 28 inches. Beautiful pakka stitch floral designs and mirror work on a peach color satin background. Notice the 2 attractive stylized peacocks at the bottom of the choli. Very good condition. This is a very attractive piece of old kutchi threadwork that will please the new owner. Price $85 SOLD
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#248
This is an absolutely fabulous antique silk tye-dye odhni (woman's shawl or headcovering), probably from the Kutch region of India, but it could be from Rajasthan. 50 x 31 inches. This textile is beautifully dyed on silk with attractive patterns and wonderful color. Several places are spot-dyed with green. According to Rosemary Crill's "Tie-Dyed Indian Textiles," tye-dye textiles in green were usually intended as gifts. The shawl has a gold thread border at one end. The textile is in excellent condition except for a few very tiny holes and a couple of tiny breaks in the silk. See all of the close up photos. The shawl was tye-dyed in the bandhani technique with small resist dyed spots by wrapping thread around the tip of a small nail to form the thousands of tiny circles or spots that form the designs on the shawl. "Bandhani" is the Indian word from which we derived the English word "Bandana" for tye-dyed cloths. The material for the shawl is a diaphanous silk. This is a top-shelf piece of Bandhani tye-dye that will please the new owner for years to come, either displayed or worn. Enjoy. Price $150
To see more photos of #248 click here.
#325
Old embroidered dress or choli from Kutch India. This textile is a beautiful old Kutchi (Indian) embroidered dress or choli, probably made and used by a bride in her wedding. The choli is 36 inches across from sleeve tip to sleeve tip, 37 inches from top to botton, and 26 inches across in the center of the choli. Beautiful floral designs in fine pakka stitch and mirror work on a dark red handloomed cotton background with bandhani tie-dye. I also like the nice crochet stitch circles embroidered in black, white, slamon, light green and light blue. The choli is backless. The choli is in excellent condition all over. The seams along the sleeves have been opened to facilitate display and and a sleeve for a hanging rod has been seen in so it's ready to hang flat and display. If you want to wear this choli, you can easily re-sew the seam for the sleeves and be ready to wear it to your next party. This is a very attractive piece of old kutchi threadwork that will please the new owner. Price $130 SOLD
#313
This is a spectacular old Banjara Indian dowry bag. Approximately 21 x 1 3 inches. This beautiful bag is made of colorful red and indigo handloomed cotton cloth with fine and intricate white cotton cloth applique work and embroidered embellishments. This bag has great color, interesting abstract snowflake-like designs that make a terrific impact. The bag could be opened up and displayed flat as a square or left as is. See the photos of both sides. The bag is in excellent condition. A powerful piece with great color. Price $120
To see more photos of #313 click here.
#278
This is a brilliant older Kutchi Embroidery that was used as a walling hanging or "Toran." The textiles is 19 inches wide, 14 inches tall. The emboidery work is exemplary in this wall hanging employing a variety of stitches on an off-white handloomed cotton material. I really like the color palette used in this toran and the embroidery is first-rate, including the beautiful triangular tassels. It's a top-shelf old piece of Kutchi embroidery that's sure to delight for years to come. Put it on your wall and enjoy. Price SOLD
To see more photos of #278 click here.
#229
This is an old Embroidered Bag, 8.5 x 11.5 inches, probably from the Sind area of the India and Pakistan border or the Kutch region. The bag is in excellent condition and is excellently rendered mainly in the soof stitch to create the snowflake/flowers in black and burgundy floss thread. The embroiderer used a nice color palette, and fine stitches and created a wonderful visual impact. Enjoy. SOLD
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#188
Old embroidered dress or choli from Kutch India. This textile is a beautiful old Kutchi (Indian) embroidered choli, probably made and used by a bride in her wedding. The choli is 48 inches across from sleeve tip to sleeve tip, 37 inches from top to botton, and 20 inches across in the center of the choli. Beautiful embroidery and mirror work on burgundy colored background cloth for the front, as well as embellished stripes of satiny material in orange, green and red with plenty of embroidered highlights and trim. The back of the choli is a printed cotton material (see photos). The choli is in good condition. This is a very attractive and stunning piece of old kutchi threadwork that will please the new owner to display or wear. SOLD
To see more pictures of #188 click here.
#122
This is an old Rajasthani embroidery from the Thar Desert region near Jaisalmer. This beautiful textile was sewn as a pillow cover, but has never been used as such. Usually, the textile would be folded in half length-wise and sewn into a pillow, but this one is still flat. This is a top-shelf old textile of merit. Approximately 33 x 24 inches. The embroideress has used a wide variety of stitches, all excellently rendered, to deliver a wonderful design. Brick red handloomed background cloth. Quincunx central design with wonderful embroidered squares filling each quadrant . Be sure to look at the closeup photos. The textile is in very good condition This is one small repair (0.5 x 2 inches), that was expertly performed in the field. See the photo. This is a nice thing and I have no doubt that this piece will please the new owner greatly. Enjoy. Price $135
To see more photos of #122 click here.
#249
This is an old tribal textile that I had not encountered until recently. It's a woven tribal skirt or shawl from tribal peoples in Orissa, either Bonda, Dongria or Godaba. The textile is cotton and is 66 x 28 inches. The designs are woven in a supplemental weft technique, though I'm not sure if some of the designs are done with needle work also. The textile is in very good condition. There are 2 light stains in the center of the textiles, but they are not nearly as noticable as they appear in the photographs. This is an interesting and uncommon textile. Price $75
To see more photos of #249 click here.
#321
This is an A+ top-shelf antique choli from Kutch India. This textile is a beautiful old piece of Kutchi (Indian) embroidered dress or choli, proba bly made and used by a bride in her wedding. The choli is 22 inches across from sleeve tip to sleeve tip, 24 inches from top to bottom. Beautiful fine embroidery work and mirror work throughout the front of the choli. The choli is backless. The choli is in excellent condition all over, except for a tiny slit behind the pompoms on the center front of the choli about 1 inch long that is covered over by the pompoms so it is only seen from the back. This is a stunning piece of old kutchi threadwork that's about as good as it gets and it\rquote s extremely difficult to find pieces of this age and quality today. Excellent pakka stitch work and crochet stitch circles. The harmony of the colors is first rank. Missing 4 or 5 of the small mirrors. I 'm sure that it will please the new owner to display or even wear. I'm trying to offer only the finest examples of Kutchi needlework. SOLD
To see more photos of #321 click here.
This is a absolutely fabulous antique silk tye-dye odhni (woman's shawl or headcovering), probably from the kutch region of India, but it could be from Rajasthan. 66 x 34 inches. This textile is beautifully dyed on silk with attractive patterns and wonderful color. Several places are spot-dyed with green. The tie-dye pattern mimics the design used in many patola ikat textiles. I feel that I can reasonably date this piece to the 19th century. The borders of the shawl are made from separate pieces attached. The textile is in very good condition exceprt for a few very tiny holes and a couple of tiny breaks in the silk. See all of the close up photos. The shawl has been back with a light cotton material and a thin green cotton trim has be sewn along the edges.The shawl was tye-dyed in the bandhani technique with small resist dyed spots by wrapping thread around the tip of a small nail to form the thousands of tiny circles or spots that form the designs on the shawl. "bandhani is the Indian word from which we derived the English word "Bandana" for tye-dyed cloths. This is a top-shelf piece of Bandhani tye-dye that will please the new owner for years to come, either displayed or worn. Enjoy. Price $150
For more photos of #238 click here.