COSTUMES
India: Gujarat, Saurashtra, Kathiawar area
Head cover (odhani -- woman's)
1900 - 1933
Satin weave; Printed, hand blocked; Resist dyed, paste resist
Silk satin; Metallic thread; Vegetable dye (indigo)
4 yds. 11 in. x 1 yd. 14 in. (3.94 x 1.27 m)
Elizabeth Bayley Willis Collection
TC 58.2-82

Wax, paste, and clay slip are all used in Gujarat as resists and may be applied with a printing block. The odhanis commonly worn in Kutch and Saurashtra are good examples of this technique. The resist used in this silk odhani appears to be wax, which gives a characteristic crackling effect. The design is magenta, and the background is vat dyed indigo blue. -- Label copy for Courtyard, Bazaar, Temple:Traditions of Textile Expression in India, Bellevue Art Museum, June 12 to July 25, 1982.