Rabari Artisans
Rabari Artisans | Gujarat, India; b. unknown | Kothali c.1960s | Dowry bag: cotton, mirrors, silk and commercial braid | Purchased 2007. Queensland Art Gallery Foundation Grant | Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
These bags were created by Kachchhi women from Gujarat, India, in the early 1960s, as part of the substantial embroidered dowry required for marriage. The bags feature finely worked, abstracted floral and geometric designs derived from mythology and from their creators’ environment. A central feature of traditional Rabari embroidery is the use of mirrors, or abhla, which are believed to ward off the evil eye. It has been suggested that the decorative use of reflective surfaces was inspired by Islamic architecture, introduced to India by early Islamic rulers including the Mughals. Additionally, light is also considered a manifestation of the divine in Indo–Persian philosophy. Whatever the origins of the tradition, in these kothali (bags), mirrors are outlined with brightly coloured accent stitches and the resulting work is a triumph of colour and texture.
