Mezzaro Shawl

Mezzaro is a printed and painted cotton hanging with a design based on the fabled Indian bedspread ( Palampore ) of the 18th and 19th c. with a tree of life as the dominant element. Mezzara were produced in Italy, particularly in Genoa and were originally intended to be worn as shawls.They are different from their Indian inspiration in the coarser and looser cotton ground, their limited color palette of red, blue and black and in the western stylization of the flowers and animals depicted.