Pashmina: The Kashmir Shawl and Beyond. Cet article n’est pas disponible.Pashmina: The Kashmir Shawl and Beyond

The first major study of the subject, aimed at an academic as well as a general readership Illustrated with superb images collected over the years by the authors Kashmir has an enduring claim to the attention of lovers of beauty, with its breathtaking landscapes. It is also home to the Kashmir shawl, which at its finest was among the most exquisite textiles ever woven, the product of consummate artistry and skill applied to Pashmina, one of the most delicate fibres in the world. More than that, for at least three centuries, the shawl's excellence and worth made it the center of a huge and complex commercial operation involving, in its heyday, tens of thousands of people, and extending from Tibet to the marts of west Asia, Europe and America. Coveted by Mughal emperors and Sikh maharajas, Iranian nobles, Armenian merchants, French empresses, British aristocrats and, eventually, the prosperous bourgeoisie created on both sides of the Atlantic by the Industrial Revolution, it inspired any number of imitations, but none that could even approach the delicacy and charm of the original. This is the first major study of the subject, aimed at an academic as well as a general readership. The objective is to combine a well researched and accessibly written text with carefully chosen illustrations that will complement the text and bring it to life."

The classic Kashmir shawl was the exquisite product of consummate skill and artistry applied to one of the world s most delicate fibres. It was an object of desire for Mughal emperors and Sikh maharajas, Iranian nobles, French empresses, Russian and British aristocrats and eventually for the prosperous 19th-century bourgeoisie on both sides of the Atlantic. It has left a permanent imprint on the aesthetic sensibility of the modern world in the socalled paisley, derived from a motif developed in the ateliers of Kashmir s shawl designers. This authoritative study introduces the Kashmir shawl as a cultural artefact with a known history spanning four centuries, and a geographical reference from Tibet to the United States. The authors original research lays many persistent myths to rest. Monisha Ahmed provides the first authentic account, based on years in the field, of the production of the raw material, pashm or cashmere . Janet Rizvi shows how the manufacturing technique of the shawl is rooted in skills indigenous to Kashmir s villages, and invites the reader s sympathy with the weavers, the poorest and most exploited section of Kashmiri society, whose skilled fingers created these dazzling textiles. Separate chapters deal with technique and design, the nature and use of the shawl in Mughal India, and the industry in the 19th century. Shawls were traded to Iran and the Ottoman Empire long before they were discovered by Western trendsetters. Finally, Rizvi documents the recent revival in Kashmir of ancient near-moribund skills. Lavishly illustrated and accessibly written, this book has much to offer textile scholars, and those interested in the history of Kashmir, or of India s material culture or its pre-modern trade. It will also delight anyone who has ever owned or admired a shawl from Kashmir. This updated edition documents a decade s developments in the pashmina and cashmere industries. An important new feature is a chart tabulating the evolution of shawl design according to period.