Terms and conditions of use
Wall hanging
(Pardah)
(20th century)
- Medium
- silk (ikat), cotton, cotton (thread)
- Measurements
- 202.3 × 111.5 cm
- Place/s of Execution
- Uzbekistan
- Accession Number
- 2012.356
- Department
- Asian Art
- Credit Line
- National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Purchased with funds donated by Vivien Knowles, 2012
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of The Gordon Darling Foundation - Gallery location
- Level 1, NGV International
- About this work
-
Known as pardah, meaning ‘veil’ in the Uzbek and Tajik languages, wall hangings were a popular form of decoration in the homes of urban dwellers across Central Asia. The more luxurious pardah were symbols of prestige, and wealthy families typically owned numerous fine examples. This hanging features emblematic red, blue and yellow motifs that resemble stylised floral paisley and traditional jewellery forms, on an undyed white ground. The design was created using the ikat technique, in which warp threads are bound to resist-coloured dyes, a process repeated for successive colours before weaving. This pardah was assembled by quilting several ikat pieces together.
- Physical description
- This pieced hanging is made from lightly quilted silk. The central panel is decorated with large pendant jewellery forms, surrounded by fabric with a zigzag pattern forming stepped triangles, every second of which contains a smaller jewellery motif. Mainly in purple, red and yellow dyes, the decoration was created using the ikat technique in which warp threads are bound to resist coloured dyes, a process repeated for successive colours, prior to weaving.