COSTUMES
India: Rajasthan
Sash (patka -- man's)
early 19th century
Plain weave; Printed, hand blocked; Printed, stenciled
Cotton; Vegetable dye (indigo); Tinsel printed cloth
70 x 25 3/4 in. (177.8 x 65.4 cm) overall
Elizabeth Bayley Willis Collection
TC 58.2-91

The patka was a part of the Mughal costume. A long length of cloth was wound around the man's waist several times with the decorative ends (pallavi) displayed in front. This indigo dyed sash was most probably created as a ceremonial patka because of the shortness of the piece and the extreme fragility of the material. Although gold was, and is still, frequently employed in textiles, the technique of pressing gold onto a wet surface is the least permanent. The technique is not indigenous to India but was brought in from Persia. -- Label copy for Courtyard, Bazaar, Temple: Traditions of Textile Expression in India, Bellevue Art Museum, June 12 to July 25, 1982.