pashmina shawl

Pashmina is one of the world's most luxurious natural fibers,derived from a rare Central Asian mountain goat. Nomads living in the rugged and remote Himalayan mountains tend to the goats. Only those goats found about 14,000 ft. where high speed winds and freezing temperatures exist, possess a special undercoat of "pashm." Other long, coarse hairs envelop the goat and conserve the delicateness of the animal's underfleece. It is this wool (pashm) which serves tomake the shawls, refered to as Pashmina after being wovenThis is pure capra hircus, not just some goat wool called pure pashmina like you see in other stores. Its not enough to just have the correct species of goat, the inner hairs must be taken from the underside of the throat area tobe authentic. This is what we deliver. It costs us more, but we deliver the best. Its the real thing and definitely an acquired taste for people who know the difference!.This type of goat is probably the most beautiful of all wool-producing goats," wrote S. Turner, England's ambassador to Tibet in 1783. "It is superior in beauty, color and texture to all others." For many generations, Pashmina shawls have been collected as heirlooms and honoured as symbols of prestige throughout the world.Kashmir is the only place in the world where fine embroidered Pashmina Shawls have been woven, like Shahtoosh and Jamavar. Pashmina Shawls are hand-embroidered in Kashmir. Kashmir lies in the Valley of the Himalayas, surrounded by the highest mountains in the world. Kashmir was one of the important trade routes between east and west. Although it has a long history of political upheavals, the people of Kashmir have kept the art of shawl-weaving as one of their best forms of artistic talent.

From its early appearance as a graceful, naturalistic flowering plant in the 17th century, the motif commonly known as 'Paisley' represents Indian art through its mutations over the next two hundred years in the familiar teardrop shape.

At the court of the Mughal emperors of northern India, a single flowering-plant motif appeared and became a hallmark of Mughal art. In the Himalayan region of Kashmir, this design was used to embellish fine, goat-hair shoulder mantles and sashes woven for male officials of the Mughal court.

When the occasion calls for accessorizing with elegance, these fabulous scarves and shawls allow you to add those finishing touches of perfection. Exquisite body wrap, soft and light weight, yet very warm and cozy. Hand embroidered in typical Kashmiri stitch, which is so famous all over the world. One cannot even imagine the amount of labor gone into it in embroidering this lovely piece, truly a masterpiece, one would cherish forever.The embroidery is so fine and intricate, it takes months to embroider a fine pattern like this. Graceful and eye-catching, this luxurious shawl is hand-woven in semi pashmina in the valley of Kashmir, in India, and sells at very steep prices even in India.Perfect wear with ethnic and American dresses, casuals andjeans. A must have for elegant dressing. Beautiful and sophisticated, in midnight blue color with embroidery in shades of orange, peach and brown, as appearing in the pictures. Size: 78"x41" (198cm x 71cm) approx. Pictures do no justice at all to the actual product, kashmiri stitch has to been seen to be appreciated. Dry clean only. Exquisite pashmina and pure wool Kashmiri jackets, long coat, poncho, pheran, sari, salwar kurta, drapes, bedspreads/bedcovers, cushions/pillows also available with us.

Shawls

There are three fibers from which the Kashmiri shawls are made-wool, Pashmina nad shahtoosh.The prices of three cannot be compared – woolen shawls being within the reach of the most modest budget, and Shahtooshbeing a once-in-a-lifetime purchase. Woolen shawls are popular because of the embroidery Passing a fine shahtoosh shawl through a ring.

Shawls are a 'must' buy in the shops of Kashmir. worked on them which is a special to Kashmir. Both embroidery and the type of wool used causes differences in price. Wool woven in Kashmir is raffel and is 100% pure. Many kinds of embroidery are worked on shawls – ‘sozni’ or needlework is generally done in a panel along the sides of the shawl. Motifs, usually abstract designs or stylized paisleys and flowers are worked in one or two, occasionally three colors, all subdued.

Another type of needle embroidery is popularly known as Papier Mache` work because of the design and the style in which it is executed. This is done either in broad panels or either side of the breadth of a shawl, or covering the entire surface of a stole.Another type of embroidery is ari or hook embroidery; motifs are well-known flower design finely worked in concentric rings of chain stitch. Pashina is unmistakable for its softness. Pashmina yarn is spun from the hair of the ibex found at 14,000 ft above the sea level, although pure pashmina is expensive, the cost is sometimes brought down by blending it with rabbit fur or with wool.Shahtoosh , the legendary ‘ring shawl’ is incredible for its lightness, softness and warmth. The astronomical price it commands in the market is due to the scarcity of raw-material. High in the plateauxEmbroidering a shawl by natural light of Tibet and the eastern part of Ladakh, at an altitude of above 5,000 meters, roam Pantholops Hodgosoni or Tibetan antelope. During grazing, a few strands of the downy hair from the throat are shed and it is these which are painstakingly collected until there are enough for a shawl. Yarn is spun either from shahtoosh alone, or with pashmina, bringing down the cost somewhat. In the case of pure shahtoosh too, there are many qualities-the yarn can be spun so skillfully as to resemble a strand of silk. Not only are shawls made from such fine yarn extremely expensive, they can only be loosely woven and are too flimsy for embroidery to be done on them. Unlike woolen or Pashmina shawls, Shahtoosh is seldom dyed-that would be rather like dyeing gold! Its natural color is mousy brown, and it is, at the most, sparsely embroidered.

PAPIER MACHIE

Papier mache


KASHMIR PAPIER MACHE
History

The two men who stand out for their contribution to the development of this new culture are Mir Syed Ali Hamdani and Sultan Zain-ul Abideen. Syed Ali or as he is popularly known as Shah-i-Hamdan was a famous Persian mystic whois said to have been responsible for the widespread conversion to Islam of people in Kashmir. The Syed who fled to Kashmir from Persia following Timur’s invasion brought with him a host of artisans and craftsmen who found favor with local court. The 15th Century king of Kashmir Sultan Zain-ul-Abideen supplemented this work of Syed Ali. Most traditional historical references maintain thatZain-ul-Abideen invited craftsmen from all part of Islamic world especially from Iran and Central Asia. Indeed according to popular legends, Zain-ul-Abideen is said to have spent some time at Smarkand before his accession to the throne. This journey to the then heart of the Islamic civilization if it did actually take is would indeed have imbibed the young prince with a refined taste for art and crafts that were yet lacking in his own kingdom. And once he ascended the throne, the Sultan made a sustained attempt (even coercion) to enrich his land. Amongst the various crafts that got introduced in this period is the art of making lacquered pen cases known as kar-i-kalamdan.According to Encyclopedia Kashmir, the art of making pen cases from mashed paper was known in the Seljuk Iran; from where it must have spread to other parts of Central Asia including Samarkand. The art of kar-i-kalamdan does not seem to have found much favor with the people of Central Asia and Iran where the metal and wooden pen-cases commanded the market. It was from Samarkand,according to a leading contemporary papier mache artist Mohammed Saleh Beigh that Zain-ul Abideen obtained artisans well versed in the art of kar-i-kalamdan or as it was alternatively called kar-i-munakash.

Most historical records maintain that the craft was to a large extent limited to the capital city of Srinagar ; a majorityof whom were immigrants from Persia or surrounding areas. Unfortunately no papier mache object from the Sultanate period (14th to 16th Century) survives today. The art must also have been practiced during the Mughal period but hardly any documentary evidences from that period survive to explain the nature and the extent of the craft. Mughal records, nevertheless make mention of the fact thatthe Kashmiris were renowned for their painting skills. Though the reference seems to be with regards to miniaturepainting, yet it does support the tradition of an established artisan community whose members might have diversified into the wider and more acclaimed field of miniature painting. Interestingly this is a tradition that find place even in contemporary Kashmir. Many of the younger children associated with traditional papier mache (artisan) families, have switched over to painting after completing professional course from the Srinagar School of Music & Fine Arts.

During the course of the 19th century, a number of French agents were operating within the valley. These agents who were basically engaged in the trade of pashmina shawls also gave an impetus to the papier mache industry also albeit in an indirect manner. The shawls that were sent fromKashmir to France used to be packed in papier mache boxes and once they had reached France were sold separately; fetching high price. Soon these papier mache objects carved a separate market for themselves in France and other parts of Europe. Gradually along with boxes, papier mache flower vases were also in demand in the French market.

The extent of the French influence on the local Kashmiri artisan can be gauged from the fact that the term “papier mache” replaced the traditional name of the craft in its native place also. The French influence had its drawbacks, the most serious of which was the designs or color schemes that were introduced on the demand of the Frenchagents catering to the then prevalent European tastes.An interesting feature of the industry was the slow and steady replacement of paper as the basic material for the craft. In the latter part of the 19th Century wooden boxes made of silver fir (budloo) replaced the traditional paper pulp boxes. Thereafter in the 20th Century mashed paper and wood was increasingly replaced by ghata (paper board sheet). Thus today very few items that are sold in the Kashmiri market by the name of papier mache are made from mashed paper. Indeed what is referred to as papier mache both locally and in the outside market is the art of naqashi or the painting of various floral, geometrical and figurative designs and patterns on the various items, covered with lacquer.

ORIGIN
Making of Papier mache

This unique craft involves the use of paper pulp for creating beautiful artifacts painted by expert craftsmen in lifelike images of Kingfishers, maple leaves and other motifs. The traditional Kashmiri method of making Papier mache starts with waste paper which is soaked in water for several days until it disintegrates. The excess water is drained and the soaked waste paper,cloth,rice straw and copper sulphate are mixed to form a pulp. This mixture is placed in a mould and left to dry for two to three more days. On the drying of pulp, the shape is cut away from the mould in two halves and then glued again.T he surface is coated with the layer ofglue and gypsum,rubbed smooth with a stone or baked piece of clay and pasted with layers of tissue paper.A base color is painted on,and a design is added free hand.The object is then sandpapered or burnished and is finally painted with several coats of lacquer. The ingenious papier mache artisans of Kashmir transform a variety of utility articles into rare art pieces. The creation of a papier-mache object can be divided into two distinct categories, the sakhtsazi (making the object) and the naqashi (painting the surface). The colours for painting designs on the surface are obtained by grinding and soaking various vegetable mineral dyes in pigment or stone form. The final product is abeautiful art work that cannot be called a creation of one artist. It travels many pairs of talented hands before reaching a table or a mantel. Above all other talents, the aesthetic sensibility and hereditary skills are most essential in these craftsmen.

Papier Mache Designs

The designs painted on objects of papièr mâchè are brightly coloured. They vary in artistry and the choice of colours, and it is not difficult to tell a mediocre piece from an excellent one. Gold is used on most objects, either as the only colour, or as a highlight for certain motifs. Besides the finish of the product, it is the quality of gold used which determines the price. Pure gold leaf, which has an unmistakable lustre, is far more expensive than bronze dust or gold poster paint. Varnish, which is applied to the finished product, imparts a high gloss and smoothness, and increases with every coat applied.
The paper Mache objects produced in Kashmir today vary from Christmas ornaments to coasters and include boxes of every imaginable size and shape. These objects are not only beautifully decorated, but are surprisingly light and strong. Their coating of lacquer protects them from water and gives them extra durability.
 Nowadays artisans have started using cardboard instead of paper. The object is not to deceive tourists but to reduce the price of these artifacts. Papier-mache vases, bowls and other decorative items have exquisite traditional designs in vibrant colors on them. The commonly used motifs on these artifacts are images of the maple leaf, kingfishers, flowers, birds and other attractive designs.Commonly sold papier-mache items include Christmas decorations, boxes, bowls and vases

Papier Mache Process

This Kashmiri craft recycles waste paper into beautiful artifacts painted by expert craftsmen. The wonderfully vibrant hand painted motifs on the different types of items look illuminated as a result of the shiny varnish finish. Paper Mache (also spelled Papier Mache, Papier Machie) has along and rich tradition in Kashmir, it is a delicate decorative art which shows the artistic zeal of a craftsman.Motifs are most commonly nature oriented such as birds singing or flowers bursting forth in full bloom. Paper Mache products include home decor (such as letter holders, coaster sets, napkinrings etc.) decorative items (including picture frames, candy bowls, tree ornaments etc.) and apparel (bangles).The process for making paper mache is relativelysimple but takes quite a bit of time and labor. There are two main steps in the process of creating paper mache items. The first is the sakhtsazi, or the actual production of the item. The second is the naqashi, when the item is painted with any number of motifs.The traditional Kashmiri method of making Paper mache starts with waste paper which is soaked in water for several days until it disintegrates. Theexcess water is drained and the soaked waste paper, cloth, rice straw and bonding agents are mixed to form a pulp. This mixture is placed in a mould and left to dry for two to three days. On thedrying of pulp, the shape is cut away from the mould in two halves and then glued again. The surface is coated with the layer of glue and gypsum, rubbed smooth with a stone or baked piece of clay and pasted with layers of tissue paper. A base color is painted on, and now the item is ready for the artist to grace it with his design.The design is painted on free hand. Often the painting is done in relief, with certain pieces of the design subtly raised. This gives a quality of dimensionality to design which adds to the beauty of the final product. Paint used may have a metallic quality which adds to the illuminated feel. After the design is complete the final step is adding a layer or more of varnish to give the item its characteristic shine.

History of shawls

The first shawls, or "shals", were used in Assyrian times, later it went into wide spread in the Middle East. Shawls were also part of the traditional male costume in Kashmir, which was probably introduced via assimilation to Persian culture. They were woven in extremely fine woollen twill, some such as the Orenberg shawl, were even said to be so fine as to fit through a ring. They could be in one colour only,woven in different colours (called tilikar), ornately woven or embroidered (called ameli).An Ethiopian woman modeling a traditional Ethiopian shawl.Kashmiri shawls were high-fashion garments in Western Europe in the early- to mid-19th century. Imitation Kashmiri shawls woven in Paisley, Renfrewshire are the origin of the name of the traditional paisley pattern. Shawls were also manufactured in the city of Norwich, Norfolk from the late 18th century (and some two decades before Paisley) until about the 1870s.Silk shawls with fringes, made in China, were available by the first decade of the 19th century. Ones with embroidery and fringes were available in Europe and the Americas by 1820. These were called China crepe shawls, China shawls, and in Spain "mantones de Manila" because they were shipped to Spain from China via the port of Manila. The importance of these shawls in fashionable women's wardrobes declined between 1865 and 1870 in Western culture. However, they became part of folk dress in a number of places including Germany, the Near East, various parts of Latin America, and Spain where they became a part of Romani dress especially in Andalusia and Madrid. These embroidered shawls were revived in the 1920s under the name Spanish shawls, a named derived from their use as part of the dress of Spanish Romanis, also known as"gitanas". Their use as part of the costume of the lead in the opera Carmen contributed to the association of the shawls with Spain rather than China.Some cultures incorporate shawls of various types into theirnational folk dress, mainly because shawls were much morecommonly used in earlier times.UsesShawls are used in order to keep warm, to complement a costume, and for symbolic reasons. One famous type of shawl is the tallit, worn by Jewish men during prayers and ceremonies. Today, shawls are worn for added warmth (andfashion) at outdoor or indoor evening affairs where the temperature is warm enough for men in suits but not for women in dresses and where a jacket might be inappropriate.

The Kashmiri shawl


The shawls made in Kashmir occupy a pre-eminent place among textile products; and it is to them and to their imitations from Western looms that specific importance attaches. The Kashmir shawl is characterized by the elaboration of its design, in which the "cone" pattern is a prominent feature, and by the glowing harmony, brilliance, depth, and enduring qualities of its colours. The basis of these excellences is found in the very fine, soft, short, flossy under-wool, called pashm or pashmina, found on the shawl-goat, a variety of Capra hircus inhabiting the elevated regions of Tibet. There are several varieties of pashm, but the finest is a strict monopoly of the maharaja of Kashmir. Inferior pashm and Kerman wool — a fine soft Persian sheep's wool — are used for shawl weaving at Amritsar and other places in the Punjab, where colonies of Kashmiri weavers are established. Of shawls, apart from shape and pattern, there are only two principal classes: (1) loom-woven shawls called tiliwalla, tilikar or kani kar — sometimes woven in one piece, but more often in small segments which are. sewn together with such precision thatthe sewing is quite imperceptible; and (2) embroidered shawls — amlikar — in which over a ground of plain pashmina is worked by needle a minute and elaborate pattern.

The world famous Shawl Industry was founded towards the close of the fourteenth century. The great industry owes its origin to a simple but interesting incident – the great saint, Mir Syed Ali Hambani visited Kashmir in 718 of the Hijri era . He left for Turkistan via Ladakh after a stay of two years. On his way along snowy mountains of Ladakh, he was provided with socks made of Pashmina wool. The soft and warm woolattracted his attention and, therefore, on his return he took some wool to Srinagar where he presented it to the King, Sutan Qutab-ud-din 1374-89 A.D. who got it manufactured into a shawl. However, the use of word ‘Shawl” to represent the various textile products manufactured from the imported Pashmina wool become common during the reign of Mirza Hyder Doughlat (1540-1550). Once his cook, Nagaz Beg presented him with a double piece of shawl, which he obtained from Khoqand, his native place. The King was surprised to see the soft and the beautiful shawl rather Doshalla and, therefore, he too encouraged the developmentof the shawl industry. The embroidered shawls also owe their origin to an interesting incident. Once Nagaz Beg in a fitof anger slapped his servant. The blood drops fell on a plain piece of shawl. The marks left on the shawl caught the imagination of Nagaz Beg and, therefore, he innovated the embroidered shawl with red and green spots. Subsequently, the Kashmiri craftsmen introduced a large number of patterns and beautiful designs resulting in rich and variegated texture of Shawls. Shawls may be divided into two principal classes, namely the loom-wove called ‘Kanir-shawls’ and the ‘Amali-shawsl’ the designing of which is worked in imperceptible stiches in an elaborate pattern. The Amali-shawl was invented by Ata Bab a Kashmiri craftsman during 1783-85. Shawl manufacturing eminently suited the artistic faculties of Kashmiri craftsman and soon it attained such an excellence that a shawl of 11/2 square yards could be twisted and passed through a finger ring. Hence Ring Shawl which were of very delicate texture also began to be produced. The manufacture of Shawls reached its zenith during the Mughal Period (1586-1750 A.D.). They were produced on a large scale and exported. Mughal Emperors were lovers of art and beauty and they extended their full patronage to shawl manufacture. The number of looms engaged in shawl manufacture increased from 2000 at the beginning of the Mughal period to 40,000 during the reign of Jahangir. Akbar was fond of shawls and he took personal interest in their manufacturing. The following principal kind of Shawls were manufactured during the Mughal period. Tus-Asel with grey colour inkling to red, some shawls and a perfectly white color. These excelled in lightness, warmth and softness. Safed Alcheh also called Tarehdar Zardozy, Gulabetun, Keshdeh and Culgha were Akbars’s inventions Long piece of shawls called James. Bernier visited Kashmir in the company of Aurangzeb in 1665 A.D. About Shawls he says: “What may be considered peculiar to Kashmir, and the staple commodity which particularly promotes the trade of the country and fills it with wealth, it is the prodigious quantity of shawls which they manufacturer and which give occupation even to little children.” During the Afghan Rule (1759-1819) the industry improved as they also found of Shawls. But they introduced a system of taxation, known as Dag. Shawl which ultimately resulted in the exploitation of the shawl weavers and the decline of the industry during and after the Afghan and the Sikh Rule. The most notable development of this period was the extensive trade in shawls with Europe, Persia, Turkey etc. France alone accounted for 80 percent of shawl exports from Kashmir, USA took 10 %, Italy 5%, Russia 2% and UK and Germany 1% each. In France, Kashmiri shawls had become a fashion of the day after Napoleon Bonaparte presented a Kashmiri shawl to his beloved Empress Josephine.In 1783, the number of looms engaged in the manufacturing of shawls was 16,000 the number having declined from 40,000 looms during the Mughal period. This estimate was made by George Forester who visited Kashmir during that year. The main reason were the decline of the Mughal empire particularly its liquidation in Kashmir as well as the heavy excise duties imposed on the manufacture of shawls. But in spite of the heavy custom duties, the Shawl Industry progressed and thrived as a result of enormous export demand from France and other European countries. Shawls had become a sign of prestige and an article of distinction in the well to do families of Europe and the king and the queens, the princes and the princesses of both East and West had developed a fancy, may even craze for it. A Shawl was sold even at a fabulous price of Rs 12,500 in those days.It was a practice for East India Company to present a Kashmiri shawl to Queen Victoria as a birth day present, to the Queen. Even under the Sale Deed of Amritsar, Maharaja Gulab Singh and his Successors had every year as an obligation to present three pairs of Kashmiri Shawls as a taken of British Paramountcy in the State to British Government. In short from the 17th Century up to 1870, Kashmiri Shawls dominated the world of textiles in the while world. Its possession had become a great sign of prestige and distinction, its trade brought huge profits and the Industry provided employment to large number of people in Kashmir. Moorcroft, who visited Kashmir in 1822 A.D. with a view to make a study of Shawl Industry estimated the average export earning of shawls at R 35 lakhs a year thought it might have largely exceeded that figure before 1822. He says that there were at least one lakh women engaged in the spinning of shawl wool and about 90 percent of the total output was exported. A 26 percent ad valorem duty on shawls was collected by the Government before export. For this purpose, a Dag shawl Department was created. The existence of this department and the rigorous method of collection of the Octroi excise and custom duties brought about the exploitation of and misery to the shawl weavers