Rabari Arts
Theli

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Record 83/293
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Accession# R-083
Artist Kachhi Rabari
Culture Kachhi Rabari
Description MATERIALS: Cotton cloth, cotton threads, mirrors and strings.
CONSTRUCTION: Hand stitched in two parts, embroidered, square chain, cretan, interlaced stitches.
MOTIFS: Limbudi tak, makodiyun, akho dhabo, mokre, kamp, ambo.
COLOURS :Multicoloured on blue.
STYLE REMARKS: Use of blue is relatively recent among Rabaris. Originally the theli had the three sided border of the kothalo. In this middle style the stitch repertoire was reduced. Motifs became bolder and more abstract. Mirrors were used more. The ambo is typically used in a theli.
CULTURAL SIGNIFICANCE: The theli is used by most embroidering communities of Kutch. It is a sort of status symbol to bring a decorated bag to town for shopping. The style announces the user's identity.
CULTURAL REMARKS: A theli as part of a dowry is recent. Previously kothali were embroidered.
Theli, shopping bag.
Category Bags
Object Name Theli
Other Name shopping bag
Sub-category Bags, Utilitarian
Provenance Bhopa ni Vandh,kutch, Gujarat, India.
Search Terms Theli
Shopping bag
Kachhi Rabari
Kutch
Technique Embroidery :Rabari
COPYRIGHT INFORMATION ~ When using this image, the credit information should be in the following format: Image courtesy of the Kala Raksha Museum.

Copyright information - For access to this image, contact the kala raksha museum. info@kala-raksha.org    
Last modified on: February 22, 2013