Image

Previous image 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 / 10 Next image

Unknown Maker, Indian

Blouse (Choli)

Description

Maker

Unknown Maker, Indian

Culture

Indian, Chinese, Parsee

Title

Blouse (Choli)

Year

early 1800s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

silk

Geography

Place Made: China

Dimensions

Length: 53 cm (20 7/8 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Bequest of Miss Lucy T. Aldrich

Object Number

55.284

Type

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

“Insnared with flowers, I fall on grass"
Jun 10, 2014 – Mar 08, 2015

Label copy

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.

Asia in Black and White
Dec 31, 1999 – Mar 19, 2000

Use & Feedback

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Indian
Blouse (Choli), early 1800s
Silk plain weave with silk chain-stitch embroidery
Length: 53 cm (20 7/8 inches)
Bequest of Miss Lucy T. Aldrich 55.284

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.