Traditional cloak (Miniature) – Afghanistan

Object Note

Part of a set constituting six more items – two pieces of (ZI2023.501012.1 TUNISIA, ZI2023.501012.2 ASIA, ZI2023.501012.3 ASIA, ZI2023.501012.4 ASIA, and ZI2023.501012.5 OMAN).

Object History

This white linen Afghan women’s cloak was purchased along with six more items by Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli in 2023, from Augusta Auction Company, based out of Vermont, USA, to enhance The Zay Initiative collection.

Object Features 

This is an ivory linen miniature-size Afghan women’s (chadari) also famously called the (burqa).

It has a skull cap embellished with floral motifs executed in a quilting style running stitches with ivory cotton threads. It has a finely pleated back and eye openings embellished with (buttonhole_stitch)es in ivory cotton threads and a triangular gusset to cover the torso also embellished with floral motifs executed with running stitches in grey and ivory cotton threads.

Although described as a ‘[…] woman’s regional headdress w/ neck drape, Northern Afghan […]’ the miniature size of the piece suggests that either it was a seamster’s sample or a chadari for a doll.

The Zay Initiative has another similar but full-size chadari – ZI2021.500885 ASIA – in blue meant for an adult woman.

Links

• Valérie Bérinstain, Mary Hunt Kahlenberg, Zaira Mis, Marcel Mis. Asian Costumes and Textiles from the Bosphorus to Fujiyama: The Zaira and Marcel Mis Collection. California: Skira, 2001. 
• Suleman, Fahmida. Textiles of the Middle East and Central Asia (British Museum) The Fabric of Life. London: Thames and Hudson, 2017. 
• Embroidery from Afghanistan Fabric, folios. Sheila Paine. Washington: University of Washington Press, 2006. 
• Sukhareva, Olʹga Aleksandrovna. Suzani: Central Asian Decorative Embroidery. Samarkand: SMI Asia, 2013. 
• Click here to know more about the (burqa) and a chadari
• https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-iranica-online/clothing-COM_7759?lang=fr#COM-10186 
• https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2013/07/afghanistan-in-the-1950s-and-60s/100544/ 
• https://trc-leiden.nl/collection/?trc=&zoek=afghan&cat=&subcat=&g=&s=100&f=0&id=2471