First half of the 20th century

Bagh Phulkari

This bagh phulkari, with its base cloth barely visible beneath the solid embroidery that covers the surface, displays a perfectly rendered zigzag leheria (wave) pattern in seven different colors, rather than the more usual five. The embroidery was done on two smaller pieces of fabric that were then stitched together. The pattern aligns flawlessly, demonstrating the great skill of the embroiderer. A now illegible pen inscription near one corner might record the name of the embroiderer, the weaver or dyer of the cloth, or the cloth’s recipient.