Unknown Maker, Chinese

This embroidered silk sari depicting songbirds, trees, lotus flowers, and peacocks would have been worn by a wealthy Parsee woman, possibly for her wedding. Gara saris are associated with India’s Parsee community—Zoroastrian religious exiles who fled Persia in the 700s to settle in west central India. As traders, the Parsees imported ornately embroidered Chinese silk satins that were made for the Indian market. The word garo eventually became exclusively associated with Chinese embroidered saris. Parsee women wear gara saris in the traditional Gujarati manner: wrapped around the waist, with the pallu end brought from the back over the right shoulder. These garments are treasured as family heirlooms.

The dense, exquisitely drawn Chinese-style embroidery depicting perched songbirds, gnarled trees, lotus flowers, and peacocks immediately indicates that a wealthy Parsee woman wore this sari and blouse, possibly for her wedding. Fleeing their Persian persectors in the 8th century, Zoroastrian exiles - known in India as Parsees - settled in the area of Gujarat in West Central India, adopted local customs and dress, and ultimately made fortunes in trade with China and Europe. This exchange brought silk satins to the Indian market, as well as the unique embroidered pieces shown here that were made in China specifically for the Parsee community. Though not worn by other Indians in the region, this sari would have been draped in the traditional Gujarati manner.