Indian Shawl with Boteh or Paisley Motifs

Glossy burgundy cloth that shifts to brown wherever the folds catch light.

This shawl with boteh or paisley motifs is from India, and dates to the 20th century. It is silk. The boteh, a curved teardrop shape, is the motif behind what is called paisley in the West, and it has long been used on Kashmiri and Indian shawls. Long rectangular cloth in deep plum-brown with a sheen, creased in soft horizontal folds. Darker red borders run along both short ends, finished with a short fringe. The surface has a fine, smooth hand. It is 88 inches wide and 44 long.

Moody, wrinkled, and glowing in all the right creases.