The shawl's sudden migration in 1800 from Kashmir to Europe spawned important new developments in European design ideas, centring around one of the most ubiquitous motifs ever to come from the East: the 'buta' or 'boteh' as it is known in the West, a cone-like form that is commonly found on printed goods, on rags, embroideries and many other textiles.
This work attempts to define and classify the Kashmir shawl, analyses the wealth of images and symbolism found in its finely ornamented weave, and places its development within the context of the four major periods of Kashmir's history. Unlike many Near Eastern textiles which have a continuous and uninterrupted history, the Kashmir shawl remains unique as a weave which has not been produced in over a century; as a result, certain technical facets concerning its construction have almost completely disappeared, a fact which tends to intensify our perception of its mysterious beauty and illuminating colours.
This third edition represents a major leap forward from the publication of the first edition in 1986. A significant addition is the profusion of colour plates. A new chapter is included on 'British Shawls in the Indian Style', by the English scholar, Pamela Clabburn and in 'Manufacturing Techniques up to the Present Day' Peter Harris, a contemporary weaver, has written an illuminating analysis of the technicalities of the double-locked twill tapestry (kani) weaver.
The last decade has seen the discovery of a number of new design traceable French jacquard shawls and another exciting new feature of the third edition can be found in the chapter on 'The French School of Shawl Design', in which are illustrated about forty of some of the rarest and most beautiful signed and dated shawls, many from the brilliant hand of France's gifted nineteenth century shawl artist, Antony Berrus. The profile of Amédée Couder and his family has been expanded. Architect, industrial designer, writer, poet, Couder takes credit for some of the most innovative advances in early jacquard loom technology.
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