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Lot Essay
The preparation of precise and accurate sketches was essential if weavers were to produce shawls of repeatable design and quality. This was the responsibility of the Naqqash. The drawings they produced were full-scale, intended to be used as a constant reference by weavers. In 1831, the French traveller Victoire Jacquemont recorded that in Ludhiana weavers could be seen constantly "glancing at a pen and ink pattern tracing which shows the shape of the pines he is weaving", adding that through repeated use the paper designs had become "well-thumbed and greasy" (Levi-Strauss 1986, p.185). Forty years later, shortly after the Paris exhibition at which these paintings were displayed, the Anglo-Hungarian linguist William Gottleib Leitner described how before weaving began, "a plan (naska) of the specimen of the shawl required is first drawn upon paper, and flowers of various colours are depicted". According to him, "the specimen plan whose length and breadth are equal to those of the warp are then fixed underneath so as to allow the drawing to be seen through the warp" (Ames 1997, p.70). These designs were therefore intended to be set into the looms and used by weavers as they worked.
The designs themselves show only quarters of shawls: this likely reflects the fact that weavers often would have prepared the four quarters separately to be brought together later by the rafugar (see lot 66). It is also notable that the designs are not extensively coloured. Only in the group to the top right are pigments added, and there only in small swatches rather than fully painted. In fact, most Kashmir shawl weavers worked from monochrome designs. Though the naqqash might draw the designs, deciding on colours was the work of the turuhguru. Before weavers began work, according to Moorcroft the turuhguru would ‘point out the disposition of the colours beginning at the foot of the pattern and calling out the colour, the number of threads along which it is to extend, that by which it is to be followed, and so on in succession.’ This would be recorded by the talimguru, who used a ‘kind of shorthand’ to indicate which colours would be used and for how many rows (Moorcroft 1823, p.16). These cryptic documents would then be used by weavers in conjunction with the larger designs to create a shawl with the desired combination of form and colour.
Many of those interested in Kashmir shawls were keen to study and acquire original designs. However, though the intrepid Moorcroft was able to obtain many samples of weaving and pieces of equipment, the drawings eluded him. He was particularly frustrated to have failed to obtain "patterns which were in the possession of an individual two centuries ago from whom they have descended through a race of pattern drawers in regular succession to a very intelligent individual who at this day pursues the occupation" (Moorcroft 1823, p.40). Perhaps we need not be too surprised that this 'individual' was not willing to part with drawings that had been preserved for so long, especially to an outsider like Moorcroft. It may also reflect that these drawings were considered commercially sensitive, and the naqqash did not want any of their trade secrets to fall into the hands of competitors. The Victoria and Albert Museum’s first keeper of the Indian Section, Caspar Purdon Clarke, was more successful on a purchasing tour of India in 1880-2, and designs he purchased in Srinagar were presented to the museum in 1924 - most of them are uncoloured (acc.no.IM.29-1924; 32-1924; 30-1924).
The palatial interior is worthy of comment. The finely-carved wooden columns, large patterned carpets, and even stained glass above the doors to each side of the painting suggest that the naqqash operated in luxurious conditions. When cataloguing this drawing in 1988, Veronica Murphy particularly noted the ‘European-style’ legs of the table upon which the designers work as a sign of their prosperity (Murphy 1988, p.12). This is probably a reflection of the higher status of the naqqash among shawl workers. They received the highest pay of anyone involved in the industry, claiming as much as eight times the daily wage of a weaver (Irwin 1974. P.7). The setting may also have offered an opportunity for Bishan Singh to show his talents at painting grand interiors - the space of this painting is evocative of the room in which the Amritsar Municipal Committee meet in a painting sold in these Rooms, 31 March 2022, lot 98. It should be noted that the same group of three figures, with one man looking straight down at his drawing, appear in the signed Bishan Singh painting in the Musée Guimet.
Bishan Singh conveys the lively atmosphere of the workshop in the present painting. As some work, others watch over shoulders, or discuss the next move. This is a multi-generational workplace, with a strong sense of hierarchy. The two figures sat at tables are evidently the most senior. Two younger men also work on drawings, but are sat on floor. Finally, in the lower right corner of the scene, sits a young boy working on a wooden board. So fine is the detail of the painting, that legible on the board are the repeated identical boteh-like motifs which the boy has drawn on the board. Only after years of practice, and watching his elders work, would the boy would graduate to full-scale drawings. The evident hierarchy of this painting, with apparently senior workers to young apprentices arranged according to their status, continues through the series.
The designs themselves show only quarters of shawls: this likely reflects the fact that weavers often would have prepared the four quarters separately to be brought together later by the rafugar (see lot 66). It is also notable that the designs are not extensively coloured. Only in the group to the top right are pigments added, and there only in small swatches rather than fully painted. In fact, most Kashmir shawl weavers worked from monochrome designs. Though the naqqash might draw the designs, deciding on colours was the work of the turuhguru. Before weavers began work, according to Moorcroft the turuhguru would ‘point out the disposition of the colours beginning at the foot of the pattern and calling out the colour, the number of threads along which it is to extend, that by which it is to be followed, and so on in succession.’ This would be recorded by the talimguru, who used a ‘kind of shorthand’ to indicate which colours would be used and for how many rows (Moorcroft 1823, p.16). These cryptic documents would then be used by weavers in conjunction with the larger designs to create a shawl with the desired combination of form and colour.
Many of those interested in Kashmir shawls were keen to study and acquire original designs. However, though the intrepid Moorcroft was able to obtain many samples of weaving and pieces of equipment, the drawings eluded him. He was particularly frustrated to have failed to obtain "patterns which were in the possession of an individual two centuries ago from whom they have descended through a race of pattern drawers in regular succession to a very intelligent individual who at this day pursues the occupation" (Moorcroft 1823, p.40). Perhaps we need not be too surprised that this 'individual' was not willing to part with drawings that had been preserved for so long, especially to an outsider like Moorcroft. It may also reflect that these drawings were considered commercially sensitive, and the naqqash did not want any of their trade secrets to fall into the hands of competitors. The Victoria and Albert Museum’s first keeper of the Indian Section, Caspar Purdon Clarke, was more successful on a purchasing tour of India in 1880-2, and designs he purchased in Srinagar were presented to the museum in 1924 - most of them are uncoloured (acc.no.IM.29-1924; 32-1924; 30-1924).
The palatial interior is worthy of comment. The finely-carved wooden columns, large patterned carpets, and even stained glass above the doors to each side of the painting suggest that the naqqash operated in luxurious conditions. When cataloguing this drawing in 1988, Veronica Murphy particularly noted the ‘European-style’ legs of the table upon which the designers work as a sign of their prosperity (Murphy 1988, p.12). This is probably a reflection of the higher status of the naqqash among shawl workers. They received the highest pay of anyone involved in the industry, claiming as much as eight times the daily wage of a weaver (Irwin 1974. P.7). The setting may also have offered an opportunity for Bishan Singh to show his talents at painting grand interiors - the space of this painting is evocative of the room in which the Amritsar Municipal Committee meet in a painting sold in these Rooms, 31 March 2022, lot 98. It should be noted that the same group of three figures, with one man looking straight down at his drawing, appear in the signed Bishan Singh painting in the Musée Guimet.
Bishan Singh conveys the lively atmosphere of the workshop in the present painting. As some work, others watch over shoulders, or discuss the next move. This is a multi-generational workplace, with a strong sense of hierarchy. The two figures sat at tables are evidently the most senior. Two younger men also work on drawings, but are sat on floor. Finally, in the lower right corner of the scene, sits a young boy working on a wooden board. So fine is the detail of the painting, that legible on the board are the repeated identical boteh-like motifs which the boy has drawn on the board. Only after years of practice, and watching his elders work, would the boy would graduate to full-scale drawings. The evident hierarchy of this painting, with apparently senior workers to young apprentices arranged according to their status, continues through the series.