COSTUMES
India: Orissa, Cuttack, Nuapatna
Gaudia Patra or Asani Patra group
Sari (muktajhari khandua pattern -- woman's)
1957
Plain weave; Supplementary warp pattern weave; Supplementary weft patterning; Resist dyed, weft ikat; Resist dyed, warp ikat
Silk; Cotton
5 yds. 19 3/4 in. x 1 yd. 11 1/2 in. (5.07 x 1.21 m) including fringe
Elizabeth Bayley Willis Collection, gift of Virginia and Prentice Bloedel
TC 58.1-394

The weft ikat patterns in the main field and pallu are framed by warp ikat borders. Framing the elephants are muktajhari (“showers of pearls”). The elephant is considered an auspicious animal id is frequently placed on special garments. The elements in this sari are repeated in the khandua, an Orissan wedding odhani from which this sari takes its name. -- Label copy for Courtyard, Bazaar, Temple: Traditions of Textile Expression in India, Bellevue Art Museum, June 12 to July 25, 1982.

This ikat sari contains traditional Orissi design and patterning. Repeated lotus blossoms and elephants are enclosed in rows of pearls. All three elements frame the sari's central panel of meandering vines, lotus blossoms and peacocks. The elephant and peacock are auspicious animals frequently placed on special garments. They symbolize good luck and wealth respectively.The village of Nuapatna, where this sari comes from, is known for its tasar or wild silk. Its cultivation precedes the finer mulberry silk brought from China. Villagers gather the cocoons from the hardwood trees in the hills behind Nuapatna three times a year. The cocoons are then boiled, and women and young girls reel the silk and do the spinning. The dyeing and weaving are done by the men.

The Ikat Process: The beauty and value of the ikat textiles of India lies in their complex pattern, precise technique, and the immense skill of the weaver. The term "ikat" means to bind, knot or wind around. It involves a complex sequence of binding groups of threads according to a carefully worked out color scheme prior to weaving. The dye patterns formed on the threads then make the textile's pattern when woven, characterized by a feathery edge to the pattern. Two men are involved in the weaving and only four to six inches are woven a day. -- Label copy for Unpacking the Collection: Collecting Other Cultures: The Elizabeth Bayley Willis Collection, April 10 to May 15, 1997, October 16, 1997, to March 2, 1998, and March 4 to June 7, 1998.