• View of a 180x200cm antique Indian Zardozi panel, showing dense silver-gilt wire embroidery and a central medallion on sheer silk gauze.
  • Elegant corner view of a 180x200cm antique Indian Zardozi panel, showing dense silver-gilt wire embroidery on sheer silk gauze.
  • Scalloped border on an antique Indian Zardozi blanket highlighting satin-stitched flowers and metallic purla wirework.
  • Close up of vertical splitting and shattering on the delicate silk gauze background of a heavy antique Zardozi textile.
  • Close up of vertical splitting and shattering on the delicate silk gauze background of a heavy antique Zardozi textile.
  • Rare original 19th-century artisan ink design tracings revealed under worn silk embroidery on an antique Zardozi panel.
  • Close up of vertical splitting and shattering on the delicate silk gauze background of a heavy antique Zardozi textile.
  • Close up of vertical splitting and shattering on the delicate silk gauze background of a heavy antique Zardozi textile.
  • Rare original 19th-century artisan ink design tracings revealed under worn silk embroidery on an antique Zardozi panel.
  • View of coverlet showing foxing to silk embroidery on one side
  • Small spots of green verdigris copper oxidization on the genuine gilt-copper wire of a vintage Indian metal embroidery panel.
  • Small spots of green verdigris copper oxidization on the genuine gilt-copper wire of a vintage Indian metal embroidery panel.
  • Reverse side of a large antique Indian Zardozi panel showing a plain silk border strip and age-related foxing.
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Large Scale 19th Century Indian Zardozi Openwork & Silk Embroidered Panel – 180x190cm

Large Scale 19th Century Indian Zardozi Openwork & Silk Embroidered Panel – 180x190cm

Indian zardozi panel, c. 1890–1910, with hand-couched jali-style openwork wire embroidery on silk gauze. 180 × 190 cm. Fragile ground with splitting; requires supported display.

£220.00
£220.00
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Description and Details

A large Indian zardozi embroidered panel or coverlet, dating to around 1890–1910 and measuring 180 × 190 cm. Cream silk floss and coiled metallic wire are worked on a sheer silk gauze ground. A central floral medallion, or chand, is framed by sweeping corner paisleys (boteh) and dense botanical borders. The openwork wheels are made with hand-couched wire in a jali-style, lace-like technique; they are not sequins or separate pieces of lace. The design draws on Mughal textile patterns.

Where some of the silk stitching has worn away, hand-drawn ink tracings beneath the embroidery can be seen. They show something of how the pattern was laid out before stitching began.

Condition: The weight of the embroidery has contributed to vertical splits and shattering in the fine silk gauze, leaving the panel structurally fragile. One face remains comparatively clean; the reverse has uneven historic foxing and losses to the silk floss. Much of the wirework remains bright and attached, with localised green verdigris. The panel should not be used as a bedcover or hung unsupported. Flat storage or supported display is advisable; consult a textile conservator before mounting. Please examine the photographs carefully for condition.

Made in India, possibly in the Delhi or Agra region. The coiled wire is identified as silver-gilt copper (purla).


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