Fine Indian Pashmina Kani Shawl — Claret & Blue Rose

A fine Indian pashmina Kani shawl on a deep claret ground, scattered with small blue and gold flower sprays across an open field and framed on all four sides by a wide border of full-blown roses in blue, gold and cream, with a narrow figured edge running outside it.

Kani is the oldest and slowest of Kashmir's shawl techniques. The pattern isn't printed or embroidered onto the cloth — it is built into the weave itself, colour by colour, using small wooden bobbins called kanis. The weaver follows a coded pattern script and may complete only an inch or two in a day, which is why a piece like this is measured in months of work rather than hours.

The flowers here are the point of interest. Where most Kani work is built on the stylised paisley, this shawl is drawn in naturalistic roses — shaded petals, turned leaves, blooms at different stages on the same stem. That drawing language entered Kashmiri weaving through the European shawl trade of the nineteenth century and stayed, and it is markedly harder to weave than a paisley: shading a rose means changing colour within a single petal rather than filling a shape.

Set against the open claret field, the borders carry the whole design. Very little happens in the middle, which is a deliberate choice — it lets the shawl sit under a heavily worked outfit without the two competing, and it keeps the eye on the edges, where the work is.

Details

• Fine Indian pashmina
• Kani handwoven on the loom, not embroidered or printed
• Scattered floral field with a wide rose border on all four sides
• Approx. 40" × 80"
• Dry clean only
• Handwoven in Kashmir, India

Each shawl is one of a kind. Slight irregularity in the weave is inherent to handloom work and is the mark of an authentic Kani piece.

Ships in Attan's branded box with a thank-you card, ready to gift.