Kashmir shawl, unknown maker from India

Exhibition Label:
“Flowers, Dragons and Pine Trees: Asian Textiles in the Spencer Museum of Art,” Nov-2005, Mary Dusenbury
Kashmir shawls were often reworked, sometimes because the fragile cashmere fiber was worn in places, sometimes to accommodate a change in fashion. The reconstruction of this shawl is consistent with shawl construction techniques in Kashmir and India, but it is backed with heavy black mesh, suggesting that the reconstructed shawl was not meant to be worn. The shawl was probably constructed from early nineteenth century pieces by a Kashmiri or Indian merchant, perhaps working in conjunction with a Western dealer, for sale to a Western collector looking for an “early” shawl.