Embroidered Black Odhani Wedding Shawl from Sindh

A black cotton wedding shawl from Sindh embroidered with gold & red floral motifs.

The floral pattern on this vintage shawl, called an odhani or abochani, is a popular motif representing the neem flower.

Single floral motifs are spaced over the bedcover in addition to a central and two offset clusters of bouquets. A superb example of the magnificent embroidery techniques of Sindh and Gujarat. It's unusual to see the black rather than white fabric used for this type of item.

Part of a collection of textiles we assembled 40 years ago.

Three panels of black cotton have been sewn to make one large panel 135x190cm.

Would also make a dramatic bed cover.

Read more in our blog about the talk we gave to Sheffield Embroiderers Guild: "Desert Flowers - Embroidered Textiles of Rajasthan & Gujarat".