Shawl

This lightweight shawl was woven from extremely fine wool. In the region of Kashmir, wool was traditionally taken from the soft under-hair of the Himalayan goat. The shawl is made up of a number of separately woven pieces, a practice undertaken to speed up the labor-intensive process of making such shawls, as global demand for them exploded during the 19th century. The main design of this shawl features bota or droplet-like motifs organized in three rows. Each bota motif is composed of a colorful array of flowers and leaves, with additional vegetal motifs interspersed between them.