Basic HTML Version

|  | Table of Contents |  | View Full Version

Page 12 - HAND EMBROIDERY ARTISAN_TT
P. 12

    Handicrafts & Carpets                                   Related Theory for Exercise 1.1.02
           Hand Embroidery Artisan - Introduction to Hand Embroidery

           Introduction to trade history

           Objective: At the end of this lesson you shall be able to
           •  describe the history of hand embroidery.

           Sozni embroidery is a needle point technique that    Born in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent,
           originated in the Kashmir valley of India and has rich   Sozni work has a history that goes way back. The Iranian
           history that dates back to 14th century.             scholar- Mir Syed Ali Hamdani, who preached Islam in
                                                                central Asia at the time, brought various arts and crafts to
           The delicate, one-of-a-kind Sozni embroidery has been
           Kashmir’s  well-kept  secret  for  ages. The  rich  floral   the region. He was the highest Sufi of Kashmir and Sozni
           and paisley sozni patterns are best seen, adorning the   embroidery was one such art form that he introduced in
           luxurious pashmina shawls. This is one of the finest forms   India. He came to practice Islam in Kashmir, bringing
           of hand embroidery and intricate craftsmanship. The word   seven hundred (700) companions from Persia. Amongst
           sozni comes from “sozan”, which means needle. Locally   these Persian sayyids, were a few sozni kaarigars. They
           known as, Sozan Kaari - the craft has been in practice   were the first generation of sozni-kaars in Kashmir and
           since the Mughal era. Sozni work was mainly seen on   their future generations have kept the craft alive.
           jamawars- long shawls that Mughal emperors draped.   When Shah Hamdani discovered the pashmina fabric
           For centuries, the craft has been made and mastered   of Kashmir, he appointed his kaarigars to do sozni
           by generations of expert craftsmen; the sewing is so   embroidery on these soft base fabrics. The cashmere
           complex and intricate that it takes up to six months for   pashmina fabric became all the more regal when sozni
           the embroiders to master the grip and movement of the   motifs were embroidered with needles. As a result of
           cloth and needle. The entire process is done entirely by   Sufi Hamdani’s arrival, a new sun dawned on Kashmir’s
           hand and there is no involvement of machinery. (Fig 1)  legacy with rich art and culture.

            Fig 1                                               Kashmir artisans have been practicing Sozni embroidery
                                                                since almost 500 years ago. Its mainly done in woollen
                                                                silk fabrics and very famous for its use in Pashmina
                                                                Cashmere  shawls  and  jackets. The  interesting  facts
                                                                about sozni embroidery is that its intricacy can vary from
                                                                5 stitches per cm to 500 stitches per cm.

           2

| 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 |