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Sainchi Phulkari

First half of the 20th century
Artist/maker unknown, Punjabi

This elaborate sainchi phulkari bears an enormous variety of motifs. A lotus, a popular sacred symbol across Asia, rests at the center. Types of transportation include people riding in covered chairs carried on four poles, horse-drawn carriages, and great trains, as well as on camels, elephants, and horses. Daily village activities range from dancing to spinning thread and grinding grain to carrying water and goods. A checkered chaupar game board appears near a full set of wedding jewelry. There is no attempt to establish the relative scale of each motif; instead they act together to make a dense and balanced pattern

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Object Details

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