Phulkari with Large Cat

Phulkari is a traditional shawl that is part of a dowry. It could be of either Muslim or Hindu origins, the Muslim versions are abstracted while the Hindu ones feature pictorial elements like figures and animals. A phulkari was traditionally made at home by the bride or females of her family. The ground of coarse local cotton was usually dyed with madder to a deep reddish brown and the embroidery was done in silk floss in surface darning stitch.This phulkari, of Hindu origins, features a center rectangle dominated by a large cat surrounded by other figures and abstracted shapes. The wide borders feature mainly geometrical and abstracted floral elements.