prayer shawl

By reindeer, 6 September, 2010
Description

photo 1/ My son fooling around with the shawl in the background. This is the only picture we have of the shawl before the fire, and the quality of the photo is not good. It does show the overall pattern of the piece, with the central, mostly white square, surrounded by very detailed patterning.

Photo 2/ The only intact corner of the shawl. The entire shawl was in this condition prior to the fire. The brightly coloured rectangles of plainer material formed a border at each end of the shawl, but not at the top or bottom.

Photo 3/ Detail of shawl remnant.

Photo 4/ Detail of shawl remnant.

Photo 5/ Detail of reverse (back) of shawl remnant.

Category
Other
Medium
wool
Condition
Excellent
Size and dimensions of this item
roughly 4 feet by 10 feet
Date Period
date unknown, but almost certainly before 1940
History
The shawl was given to my mother by an English relative about 35 years ago. Apparently it once belonged to another relative who had spent time in India, I don't know when. My mother was told that the shawl was Kashmiri and quite old. She was also told that it had been appraised in England and was "valuable", but she wasn't told what it was worth. The shawl was largely destroyed in a recent fire. Only remnants remain. I am trying to establish a pre-fire value for the shawl. Prior to the fire it was in very good condition, the entire shawl being in similar shape to what you see in the detailed photograpahs of the remnants.
eBay Auction Link
For Sale?
No
Photos