Envelope
Object name
Date made
20th century
Place made
Description
20th-century embroidered envelope from Kutch, Gujarat, India, embellished with shisha mirror work.
Content description
20th-century embroidered envelop embellished with mirrors, worked on red cotton and covered in geometric motifs in a variety of cotton threads. The envelop is edged with dark green cotton with insertions of herringbone stitches. The envelop involves counted satin, herringbone, slanted satin, cross, and back stitches, as well as couching. Circular mirrors, known as shisha, are adhered using shisha stitch (variation 1).
Shisha means glass or mirror in Persian and Hindi. Mirrors have been used in embroidery across the Islamic world although they are especially noted in embroidery from north-west India to Afghanistan and in central and eastern Europe. Pieces of mica were used before the invention of glass and are still sometimes used, especially in western Sumatra. Mirrors were not merely viewed as decorative -- their reflective properties are credited with deflecting evil spirits.
This bag is from the Kutch region in Gujarat, India, an area where a huge variety of embroidery techniques are practiced. This bag features Kharek embroidery, which gets its name from the Kutchi word for the date fruit. Its specific characteristic is the use of simple but complex geometric forms. The embroiderer starts by plotting the squares and rectangles that make up the grid of geometric forms. A dark colour is used to outline the grid which is arranged using the counted threads of the cotton base fabric. The spaces within the grids are then filled using satin stitch in brightly coloured threads. Mirrors are added for visual interest and detail.
Shisha means glass or mirror in Persian and Hindi. Mirrors have been used in embroidery across the Islamic world although they are especially noted in embroidery from north-west India to Afghanistan and in central and eastern Europe. Pieces of mica were used before the invention of glass and are still sometimes used, especially in western Sumatra. Mirrors were not merely viewed as decorative -- their reflective properties are credited with deflecting evil spirits.
This bag is from the Kutch region in Gujarat, India, an area where a huge variety of embroidery techniques are practiced. This bag features Kharek embroidery, which gets its name from the Kutchi word for the date fruit. Its specific characteristic is the use of simple but complex geometric forms. The embroiderer starts by plotting the squares and rectangles that make up the grid of geometric forms. A dark colour is used to outline the grid which is arranged using the counted threads of the cotton base fabric. The spaces within the grids are then filled using satin stitch in brightly coloured threads. Mirrors are added for visual interest and detail.
Dimensions
width: 26cm
height: 35cm
height: 35cm
Materials
Stitches
Back stitch 
Herringbone stitch
Shisha stitch (variation 1)
Cross stitch
Couching
Counted satin stitch
Slanted satin stitch
Herringbone stitch
Shisha stitch (variation 1)
Cross stitch
Couching
Counted satin stitch
Slanted satin stitch
Techniques
Catalogue number
RSN.3005
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