ABOUT Zardozi EMBROIDERY
HISTORY
Zardozi is an ancient Persian art (Zar in Persian means gold and Dozi is embroidery) which has been passed down for many generations, dating back before the Mughal empire, reaching its zenith under the patronage of Emperor Akbar in the 17th century. Zardozi adorned the costumes of the court, wall hanging, scabbards, regal side walls of tents and the rich trappings of elephants and horses. Intricate patterns traced in gold and silver, studded with seed pearls and precious stones enhanced the shimmering beauty of silk, velvet and brocade.
During the rule of Emperor Aurangzeb, the royal patronage extended to craftsmen was stopped. Many craftsmen left Delhi to seek work in the courts of Rajasthan and Punjab. The onset of industrialization in the 18th and 19th centuries was another setback. Most of the craftsmen turned to other occupations.
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The art of Zardozi was revived along with many traditional methods of embroidery in the middle of this century. Zari work was mainly done in Madras and Zardozi in Hyderabad until a few decades ago. Today, Lucknow is home to this finest work of gold and silver embroidery.
The non availability of gold on a large scale became a hurdle in the making of zari threads. The problem was overcome by combining copper wire with a golden sheen and gold colored silk thread.
Another major problem was the availability of skilled Zardozi craftsmen. As the craft was on decline, the number of craftsmen decreased, as they had taken on other jobs. But with the revival of the craft, their number began to increase.
Zardozi embroidery is hand stitched predominately by Muslim men. Zardozi is fashioned with a needle that resembles a very small crochet hook which is used to run up and down through the cloth, much like a sewing machine, while the cloth is pulled tightly over a large wooden frame. Zardozi has remained as an appliqué method of embroidery. With one hand the craftsman holds a retaining thread below the fabric. In the other he holds a hook or a needle with which he picks up the appliqué materials. Then he passes the needle or hook through the fabric. After days of painstaking labor, the result is an exquisite gold-veined work of art.
This kind of stitching allows the craftsman to use both hands as he works. The hand above the cloth works the needle, while the hand below the cloth ties each stitch - making Zardozi products not only beautiful but durable.
HOW IS THAT SHINY THREAD CREATED?
The traditional method of preparing gold wires for embroidery was a complicated one, calling for tremendous patience and skill. A pure silver bar, generally one and a half feet long and tapering at both ends, was covered thrice with gold. It was put into a furnace and heated till the gold and silver diffused and the entire surface of the bar became coated with gold. Then the gilded bar was forced through successively smaller holes until the required dimensions were obtained. Often the wire was thinned till it was as fine as single hair! No matter how thin the wire was drawn, it remained uniformly coated with gold and untarnished even after prolonged use.
The wire was flattened by delicate hammer strokes and twisted around a deep yellow silk thread to strengthen the gold for embroidery of weaving.
TRANSFER OF MOTIF / PATTERN ON TO THE FABRIC
The next step was the transfer of the motif or design to be embroidered onto the fabric. The motif was first sketched on a piece of thick paper. Its outlines were perforated with a needle and the piece of paper placed over the cloth. Finely powdered charcoal tied in a Muslim cloth was passed over the design. After the entire area had been covered the design was gone over with a piece of yellow clay and then the material was stretched on a wooden frame, ready to be embroidered.
Today the method of transferring pattern to fabric is slightly different. After the perforated khaakha - the thick tracing paper – has been placed on the cloth, the pattern is rubbed with a solution of chalk and kerosene oil to transfer it onto the cloth.
THE EMBROIDERY
The Zardozi craftsmen or zardoze (pronounced Zar - doe - zay) as they are called sit cross-legged around the Addaa – the wooden framework with the tools of their trade. These include curved hooks, needles, salmaa pieces which are stiff gold wires twisted like springs and cut to the required length, sitaaras or metal stars, round sequins, glass and plastic beads, dabkaa – a combination of gold and silk thread and kasab – silver or gold-plated silver thread.
The most prevalent zardozi elements you see on this photograph are segments of dabkaa, a lengthy and flexible tightly wound metal spiral that was cut into fragments and then stitched to the fabric much like a bead. Kora, a heavier and darker dabkaa is also very prevalent. Wrapped around each red or green plastic jewel-like bead are segments of salma, a square sided dabkaa that is wiry and erratic in appearance.
