While the square shawl (rumal) was worn most commonly by women, the long shawl (dochalla), characterised by its rectangular shape, was particularly favoured by men and was worn draped over the shoulder or around the body for warmth. The decorative repertoire for such shawls gradually expanded during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries from elegant, minimally embellished shawls with intricate boteh adorning the borders, to expressive and expansive designs decorating all but the central field, as shown in the present lot (Frank Ames, “Woven Legends: Carpets and Shawls of Kashmir,” in Pratapaditya Pal, The Arts of Kashmir, Milan, 2007, pp. 193-209, p.203). For a comparable shawl see Frank Ames, The Kashmir Shawl and its Indo-French Influence, Suffolk, 1997, pl.169, p.352.
Post Lot Text
This lot has been imported from outside the EU for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable (at 5%) on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on the invoice. Please see Conditions of Sale for further information.