Shawl or Phulkari

A phulkari or embroidered shawl. The base of the shawl is tan coloured coarse, handspun cotton, onto which is embroidered a geometric pattern of orange and white diamonds, Each diamond is made up of smaller diamonds, which are outlined in a bright green running stitch. The embroidery, worked in silk floss yarn, does not completely cover the body of the cloth. The design motif represents the wheat and barley ears of the crops grown in the Punjab, an area known as the bread basket of India. The shawl is made from three lengths of cotton sewn together, likely before the embroidery was done. Sewn to the back of the textile are two cloth labels, written in black ink are the words, 'The Sir Francis Younghusband Trust' and 'R Crowfoot'.