Description

Excellent silk Ikat robe from the Ferghana Valley, Uzbekistan, dating to the second half of the 19th century.

This warp faced silk Ikat weave was extremely costly and time consuming to produce and required supreme weaving and dyeing skills. The silk warps were tie-dyed prior to the weaving, thus establishing the basic outline of the design which, in this robe, betrays Chinese influences. The white horizontal line below the sleeves is a result of the binding of the warps required as part of the tie-dying process.

This robe is in perfect condition, with beautiful Russian printed cotton lining and original braiding along the edges over the bias-cut Ikat strips on the inside supporting the lining (see additional photo).  Such bias-cuts were made from off-cuts from other robes, so that none of this very expensive material was wasted.

A similar piece is in the Megalli Collection of the Textile Museum, Washington, published in Sumru Belger Krody’s excellent  Colors of the Oasis. Central Asian Ikats. Washington, 2010, Plate 8, page 78.

Overall length (neck to hem): 141 cm, panel width (loom width): 42 cm