COSTUMES
India: Gujarat, Mehsana, Patan
Hindu; Salvi caste
Sari fragment, patolu -- vari kunjar popat phul bhat pattern (woman's)
19th century
Plain weave; Resist dyed, double ikat
Silk; Metallic thread
4 yds. 14 1/2 in. x 1 yd. 17 in. (4.03 x 1.35 m)
Elizabeth Bayley Willis Collection
TC 58.2-39

A major classification of patola are combined floral and animal motifs. A good example of this design group is the nari, kunjar, popat, phul bhat. Girls, elephants, parrots, and flowers are enclosed in an overall diagonal gridwork of chauks. Nagar Brahmans used these saris as bridal saris, and these patola were also presented as gifts to princes and as elephant blankets for ceremonial rides in southern India. -- Label copy for Courtyard, Bazaar, Temple: Traditions of Textile Expression in India, Bellevue Art Museum, June 12 to July 25, 1982.