Indian Chinese Parsee, China

This blouse’s embroidery, depicting songbirds amid vines blossoming with delicate flowers, catered to the tastes of the wealthy Parsi community living in India. Known in India as Parsis, Zoroastrian exiles fled their Persian persecutors in the 8th century, settling in the Gujarat state of West Central India. They ultimately made fortunes as merchant intermediaries on the trade routes between China and Europe. Their mercantile exchanges brought to the Indian market Chinese silk satins and unique embroidered pieces, such as this one, that showed the combined influence of Persian, Chinese, and Indian design elements.