Carpets:
The craftsmen in Kashmir follow the traditional Persian \ Islamic designs of
Kirman, Kashan, and lsfahan, Herat etc. Though there is a strong Persian
influence in Kashmiri carpets, yet one can also see local variations.
There are numerous hand knotted woolen carpet producing centers in India but
traditional hand knotted silk carpets in India can only be found in Kashmir.
The origins of the traditional silk carpets of Kashmir can be traced to the
Mughal period
Hand knotted pure silk carpets are world famous for their softness and
craftsmanship. These carpets are very expensive due to their being labor
intensive and it takes a couple of at least one year to create a good silk
carpet. The process of creating a hand knotted silk carpet is lengthy and a
lot of preparation has to be made by the craftsman before weaving the carpet.
The yarn used determines the type of the carpet to be created. Woolen carpets
are always created on a cotton base with woolen yarn. Silk yarn is sometimes
used in woolen carpets as highlights on certain designs and motifs.
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Papier-mâché
Papier-mâché is one of the prominent sub-sections of the decorative arts
collection with around 85 artifacts in all. There are a wide range of
artifacts from trays, bowls, candle stands, boxes, photo frames, vases and
other decorative items. One would like to specially mention the Qalamdaans
(pen boxes) and furniture items to be of special interest in this collection.
Like most of the decorative arts are difficult to date since there is not much
to go by in terms of established data about the history of papier-mâché. The
acquisition records may have more information of these objects that could also
help in dating them more accurately. The objects themselves do not carry any
information about the time and place
of manufacture.
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