Banjara Hand Embroidered Wall Hanging - Piece #19

$399.00

This is a one of a kind embroidery by the Banjara, a semi-nomadic tribe of Southern India.  

Banjara Embroidery deploys one of the largest stitch vocabularies of any cultural group. Fully committed to strong bold patterns, most motifs are based on a geometry of nested and altered squares. Both mirrors and motifs have auspicious power and are believed to offer protection from harm.

The designs are bold and immediate. The lines and shapes have strength of personality that permits them to wander over the surface of a work without diminishing their distinctive character. Stitch work alludes to symmetry without being symmetric and manages to incorporate geometric principles only loosely.

Size is approx.  20" x 34" (51cm x 86cm).

Features:  Hand embroidered Banjara piece set on a silk backing. 

*Colours may appear different on different monitors and in different lighting conditions.

 

For centuries embroidery has been an expression of personality ...

The language of stitches builds within a community over hundreds of years. It is a source of identity that is transferred from one generation to the next. It is learned in the same way a spoken language is learned; with children sitting beside the adults. In an oral culture the stitched language records everything of importance from the epic to the personal.

Maiwa works with embroiderers through many co-operative structures within India. The women embroider, design, market and innovate as entrepreneur artisans. The goal is financial self-determination and empowerment through education and a clear sense of the value of their work.

As part of our commitment to encouraging exceptional needlework we commission large format embroideries. For many ambitious stitchers, these works give the necessary breadth to express themselves. They design the play of motifs, the border elements, the colour palette and they set to work. Embroideries of this scale may take many months to complete, as the woman do not embroider as a full time occupation. Rather, this embroidery is done among other family tasks, or while visiting in groups with other embroiderers. 

 

This Banjara embroidery piece is one of a kind.


Meet the Artisans.

Back to top