Object Note
Part of a pair of shawls along with (ZI2021.500952.8 EUROPE).
Object History
This printed ivory silk (long_shawl) dating back to the mid-19th century was originally a part of the Dr Joan Coleman Collection. A part of a pair of shawls along with (ZI2021.500952.8 EUROPE) this shawl was 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 uniquely shaped long_shawl with an equally unique design distribution. Manufactured in Norwich c. 1855-1860 perhaps at the workshop of “E.F.Hinde” – a prominent shawl maker of the period – this shawl has two curved corners on one side.
With an ivory silk base, the shawl also features two different designs one on each half. Both sides sies have an overall floral scalloped base with each scallop encasing a rose sprig. One side displays five thick banners running parallel to one another diagonally across the body. Each banner is decorated with plum red and green cartouches repeated alternately with wreath-like streamers above and beneath them mostly in yellow, scarlet red, and brown.
The other half of the shawl features one quadrant of a circle at the corner adjacent to the other half. It is created by repeating a floral motif between a thin line and a thick floral scallop. Each scallop is interjected with a floral tassel. A similar pattern is maintained all around the edge of the shawl forming the border. A series of knotted (quadrille) threads are hand stitched to the hem of the shawl on all sides.
The intricacy of its design and the skilful and expert execution of it especially in a variety of colours suggests that it was perhaps produced using the (silk_screen_printing)/(screen_printing) technique. A very exquisite piece in both design and workmanship the shawl exhibits its age through numerous damages all over.
More Info
E.F.Hinde was a prominent shawl manufacturer company in Norwich, England, during the 19th century. Established in the early 1800s by Edward Francis Hinde, who had previously worked as a manufacturer of fine textiles the company gained fame and reputation for producing high-quality shawls, which were in great demand among fashionable ladies of the time.
With a rich history of textile production Norwich became a major shawl manufacturing centre in 19th century Great Britain making the industry famous for providing employment. E F Hinde was amongst of the most successful shawl makers of Norwich famous for producing shawls in a variety of materials including brocade. Their shawls were so highly sought after that they were sold at prestigious department stores such as Harrods and Selfridges.
Despite its success, unfortunately, by the end of the 19th century, the company faced challenges because of the Franco-Prussian War and a decline in demand for shawls as a fashionable accessory, eventually leading to the company’s closure by the early 20th century.
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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