Textile, sari fragment, silk, Surat, c. 1860s

Silk and cotton, warp-float faced satin weave with supplementary patterning wefts tied by supplementary binding warps in a twill interlacing (lampas)

Woven silk and metal thread.
Made from about 14 pieces of fabric very carefully sewn together, and two pieces from another textile.
The main pattern consists of alternating stripes:
[1] a metal thread ground with a vertical line of rigid flowering stems with a large open red rose head, and bud and two tulip heads with green leaves;
[2] a composite band of three narrow stripes, the central one being undecorated metal thread either side of which is a broader stripe with a mid-blue stripe decorated with isolated red floral sprig with green leaves outlined in metal thread, arranged as one unit above and below two half units.
Across the top  is a band, possibly marking the end of a loom piece, with a woven inscription within a cartouche.  This repeats as a mirror image several times.
Warp: pink silk
Weft: dark green, black, red, blue and white silk. 
Metal thread: silver strip open S-wound on yellow silk
A small piece of woven silk and metal thread has been joined to the main fabric on either side of the band with the inscription.  Plain weave ground. Blue ground with a multi-petalled flower head and buds in pink with green leaves, all outlined in [worn] metal thread.  The pattern in incomplete.
Warp: pink silk
Weft: light green, red and blue silk. 
metal thread: silver strip open S-wound on yellow silk

1860 / 1869, England

Description