Object Note
Part of a pair of shawls along with (ZI2021.500952.5 EUROPE).
Object History
This fine silk (gauze) (shawl) dating back to mid 19th century was originally a part of the Dr Joan Coleman Collection. It was part of a pair of shawls along with (ZI2021.500952.5 EUROPE) both of which were later acquired by The Zay Initiative from Kerry Taylor Auctions in 2021.
Dr Joan Coleman began collecting shawls in 1976 and developed her lifelong passion for collecting. She was a regular at the London salesrooms of Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and Phillips – three of the most outstanding auction houses of the period in the world – getting to know the dealers and learning in the process. She acquired vast knowledge and dedicated hours carefully cataloguing her ever-growing collection. She intended to loan her collection to different museums and institutions for the benefit of learning and education. Her collection is one of the largest and the finest private shawl collections to have ever graced the world with shawls ranging from Kashmir, Paisley, Edinburgh, Norwich, France, and Iran.
Object Features
This is a square printed shawl of silk gauze in (leno) weave. Manufactured in the workshops of one of the most prominent shawl makers of 19th century Norwich – Towler & Campin – this shawl has printed design elements on a black base.
With a partial (quadrille) weave the shawl flaunts a three-tiered border. The outermost tier is composed of a thin line of floral designs mostly in fuchsia pink, green and black. The second tier is the widest of the three and is composed of intricate floral arrangements in the shape of large tilted (paisley)/(buta) in a variety of colours – fuchsia, green, yellow, and ivory. The third tier is composed of a thin line of flowers repeated in different colours – yellow, fuchsia, and green – on an ivory base.
The body of the shawl is composed of intricate floral arrangements running all around creating a frame for the plain central field. This arrangement mostly comprises swirling floral and foliate patterns sprouting like a fountain from six large leaves placed next to one another on each side. With a range of different colours like green, blue, pink, ivory and yellow on a black background this arrangement creates an illusion of a bouquet in a vase.
It is finished with fringes created by a series of quadrille threads attached along its hem. Although attributed to (block_printing) the intricacy and delicateness of the design and its skilful execution in a myriad of colours suggests that it was most likely a product of (silk_screen_printing)/(screen_printing).
More Info
Towler & Campin was a prominent shawl-making company in 19th century Norwich, England, and the entire Great Britain. Established in the 1820s, the company’s quick rise to fame was a result of its high-quality shawls made of wool, silk, and other luxurious materials.
Known for their intricate designs, often featuring paisley/buta, floral, foliate, and other intricate motifs and patterns, their shawls were mostly manufactured on the (jacquard) looms – a primary contributor behind their success. By the mid-19th century, Towler & Campin had become one of the largest shawl manufacturers and primary players in the industry in Great Britain and abroad.
The company’s largest contribution to the industry was perhaps establishing Norwich on the map as one of the prominent textile manufacturing centres of the world. From employing 500 workers to boasting a client list that included Queen Victoria and Empress Eugénie of France, they also contributed to the development of shawl-making techniques.
Within the community of collectors, Towler and Campin shawls are highly prized even today. They serve as valuable examples for insights into the 19th-century textile industry, especially its design and craftsmanship.
Links
- Irwin, John. The Kashmir Shawls. Her Majesty’s Stationary Office, 1981.
- Clabburn, Pamela. Norfolk Museum’s Service Information Sheet : Norwich Shawls. 1987th ed., Norfolk Museum, 1987, http://www.ctacostume.org.uk/uploads/1/1/9/5/119530260/nms_norwich_shawls_info_sheet_1987_compressed__1_.pdf
- Thornton, Zita. “The Norwich Shawl.” Antiques Info, vol. 4, 2001, http://www.antiques-info.co.uk/new/pdf/Mar01/4.pdf
- Hoyet, Helen, “The Story of Norwich Shawls: Norwich Museums Shawls Collection”, https://www.ctacostume.org.uk/norwich-shawls.html
- Hoyt, Helen, et al. “Norwich Shawl.” Costume and Textile Association: Miscellany, 2016, https://www.ctacostume.org.uk/uploads/1/1/9/5/119530260/miscellany_2016_web__1_.pdf
- Skarratt, Ben. “From India to Europe: The Production of the Kashmir Shawl and the Spread of the Paisley Motif.” Global History of Capitalism, University of Oxford, 2018, https://globalcapitalism.history.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/globalcapitalism/documents/media/case_04_-_the_paisley_0.pdf
- “Wrapped in Centuries of Tradition & Culture: The Shawls of Kashmir in European Portrait.” The Heritage Lab: Culture, Art, Museums, 9 Jan. 2019, www.theheritagelab.in/kashmir-shawls-european-portraits/
- Sethi, Ritu. Handmade for the 21st Century: Safeguarding Traditional Indian Textiles. UNESCO, 2022.
- Quaile, Sheilagh Dr. “Cashmere Shawls.” Khan Academy, www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/south-asia/x97ec695a:1500-1850-deccan-south/a/cashmere-shawls
- Van Schoor, Jennifer Ann (2019) The Indian cashmere shawl and social status in British art, 1760-1870. [Thesis] (Unpublished) https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/40406/1/VAN%20SCHOOR%20J.A.%20–%20PHD%202019-vol%201.pdf
- Andrew Newey, “Cashmere Country: The Perils of Making the World’s Finest Fabric,” The Guardian (10 January 2020), https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jan/10/cashmere-country-the-perils-of-making-the-worlds-finest-fabric
- Maskiell, Michelle. “Consuming Kashmir: Shawls and Empires, 1500-2000.” Journal of World History, vol. 13, no. 1, 2002, https://www.jstor.org/stable/20078943
- Zutshi, Chitralekha. “Designed for Eternity: Kashmiri Shawls, Empire, and Cultures of Production and Consumption in Mid-Victorian Britain.” The Journal of British Studies, vol. 48, no. 2, 2009,https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-british-studies/article/abs/designed-for-eternity-kashmiri-shawls-empire-and-cultures-of-production-and-consumption-in-midvictorian-britain/8BC637E16F9C0009A4A8097114FC630F
- “Norwich Shawls: Once Ahead of the Game!” Norfolk Tales, Myths and More, 30 Mar. 2019, https://norfolktalesmyths.com/2019/03/30/norwich-shawls-once-ahead-of-the-game/
- “NORWICH WEAVING 1750 -1900.” Paul Harley, 22 May 2019, https://paulharley.wordpress.com/category/norwich-shawls/
- Collecting Guides: Kashmir Shawls, Christie’s, https://www.christies.com/features/Collecting-Guide-Kashmir-Shawls-9890-1.aspx
- A Moon Shawl (Chandar), Christie’s, https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/important-private-collection-kashmir-shawls/moon-shawl-chandar-7/71406
- A Double Sided Long Shawl (Dorukha), Christie’s, https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/important-private-collection-kashmir-shawls/double-sided-long-shawl-doruka-1/71402
- A Kashmir Paisley Shawl, Christie’s, https://onlineonly.christies.com/s/collection-paul-f-walter/kashmir-paisley-shawl-616/46985
- Eastaugh, Nicky. “Norwich Shawls: Past Glory, Present Inspiration.” Nicky Eastaugh’s Learning Log for Textiles, 14 Oct. 2016, nickyeastaughmixedmediafortextiles.wordpress.com/2016/10/19/norwich-shawls-past-glory-present-inspiration-14-october-2016/.
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