A Small Mirrored Square: Rajasthani Embroidery

ca. mid twentieth century
11" x 11", 28 cm x 28 cm

This intensely colored, stitched and mirrored cloth is from Rajasthan, India, and may have been taken from a garment, a door hanging or a bag.

The rich saffron colored embroidery and the small mirrors--most of which are still intact--make for a super-tactile and rich surface texture.  The embedded mirrors also weigh down this embroidered cloth, giving it a bit of heft and weight.

The opposite side is equally beautiful and completely different: this piece is backed with a floral printed cotton, which looks wonderful when contrasted with the "wrong" side of the embroidery.

A delicious little morsel of fine Rajasthani hand embroidery and mirror work.