A boy's jacket of thick white cotton. Gathered skirt without embroidery; the upper part densely embroidered with silk thread and mirrors.
Kutch, India
Date: 20th century
This colourful jacket would have been worn on a special occasion by a young boy of the Rabari community in Kutch, the arid peninsular section of Gujarat in western India. The embroidery is typical of Rabari work, with large, geometric elements and small tear-drop and triangular shapes filling the surface of the cloth, worked in a type of chain-stitch. The use of small mirrors is also typical of Rabari work. Rabari men traditionally wear jackets of this kind, but less elaborately decorated, for everyday wear.
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