POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Notes

This veiling cloak or paranja for a young Muslim girl has probably been cut down from one of her mother's or grandmother's and is what they would have worn in Central Asia before the advent of the Soviet era in the 1920s. The design is typical, with long false sleeves that hang well below the hem at the back. These false sleeves have a long tradition in Central Asia and, as they are common to both male and female costume historically, probably did not originally denote membership in Islam. They are stitched together side by side for most of their length, and are elaborately ornamented with woven silk braid, tassels, different-sized white pearl buttons, decorative machine stitching, cross-stitch embroidery and tassels. The paranja is made of silk satin ikat (atlas) in shades of brown, yellow, green and pink, and the front is similarly decorated. Paranjas for younger girls were often brightly coloured like this example and elaborately embroidered with traditional, stylised floral or geometric designs, many of which are ancient and have symbolic meanings. On the front of this example, a stylised form of the popular tree-of-life motif has been extensively used. The tree-of-life, one of the oldest symbols known, supports the sky and provides a path from earth to heaven. The decorative braid (zeh or dziyak) around the front edges was an indispensable addition as a magical obstacle to evil spirits. Unlike other items of women's dress, paranjas were not made at home but commissioned from women who specialised in their production. The measurements were therefore probably standardised. The cloth is a satin weave silk ikat called atlas which was probably woven in the Fergana Valley. The striped nature of the ikat pattern was composed by alternating narrow, differently-coloured and patterned bands of ikatted warp threads on the loom prior to weaving. The body and sleeves of the garment were lined prior to construction and the two layers held firmly together and strengthened by working the decorative machine stitching and embroidery through both layers. The cross stitch head band was worked separately and inset into the garment before working directly onto the front edges of the paranja itself a narrow band of black silk zeh or dziyak braid. Woven or plaited braid in dark blue and black silk has been used to ornament the false sleeves and false pockets. The making of this braid was an independent craft and would have been added to the paranja at a specialist braid workshop.