Sainchi Phulkari/Nilak Phulkari
Artist/maker unknown, Punjabi
Possibly made in Haryana, Hessar, Punjab, eastern Punjab, India, Asia
Made in Haryana, Punjab, eastern Punjab, India, Asia
Possibly made in Haryana, Hissar, Punjab, eastern Punjab, India, Asia
Date:
20th centuryMedium:
Handspun cotton plain weave (khaddar) with silk and cotton embroidery in darning, running, chain, and buttonhole stitches, glass mirrorsDimensions:
7 feet 5 inches × 53 inches (226.1 × 134.6 cm)Curatorial Department:
Costume and TextilesObject Location:
Currently not on view
Accession Number:2017-9-13Credit Line:
The Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Phulkari Collection
Social Tags
animals [x] asia [x] birds [x] bonovitz [x] buttonhole [x] camels [x] cassia flower [x] cooking [x] costume [x] cotton [x] darning [x] elephants [x] embroidery [x] figural [x] flower work [x] handspun [x] hansi [x] haryana [x] head cover [x] herringbone [x] hindu [x] hissar [x] india [x] indigo [x] khaddar [x] lotus [x] marriage [x] mirror [x] musical instruments [x] muslim [x] nilak [x] odhini [x] pakistan [x] partition [x] peahen [x] phulkari [x] plain weave [x] punjab [x] ramayana [x] sainchi [x] shawl [x] silk [x] south asia [x] textile [x] wedding [x] wrestlers [x]Figural phulkaris are known as sainchi. The dark indigo khaddar of this piece gives it its other name—nilak (blue) phulkari. An ornate central X-shape divides the cloth into four fields, each holding images from popular Punjabi folktales. In one field, a figure with another lying across his lap probably tells the story of the hero Mirza and his lover Sahiban. We see Mirza’s faithful mare Bakki tied to a nearby tree and approaching horsemen who may be Sahiban’s angry brothers and scorned fiancé. In the opposite field, a man carries two shoulder baskets containing small figures. This might represent the story of Shravan Kumar, the pious son who carried his elderly parents on pilgrimage, a tale included in the great Hindu epic, the Ramayana.