Dress

About this object

History of use

Everyday wear.

Narrative

The Kuchi are a nomadic tribe in the Pashtun ethnic group. This dress might have been constructed from a variety of elements from various sites. Goods are traded and/or migrate with the nomads, who frequently cross and re-cross international boundaries between Afghanistan and Pakistan in annual migrations. The machine printed textiles are probably Russian in origin. The round discs that embellish the dress are referred to as ‘solar discs’ or ‘dress flowers’ or gul-i-peron. They are emblems of good fortune. “They are widely used and have a long history. Examples have been found in burials dated before 400 BC.” (Harvey, p. 40.) “Decorative embroidery is also used as a protective element in itself. Often forming symbolic patterns, it is worked round the edges and openings of garments – hems, pockets, neckline – through which harmful forces are likely to attack the body. Vulnerable areas – especially the front bodice, the head and nape of the neck – are dressed in heavy embroidery.” (Harvey, p. 45.) The triangular amulet on the front of the dress safeguards the wearer. The dress was collected by Alan Davidson in Kabul in 1982 and then purchased by MOA in 1987, when Davidson’s shop, Terlingua, closed and he liquidated his stock.

Iconographic meaning

Tree of life motifs symbolize fertility. Triangles and circles are believed to bring good fortune to the wearer and protect the wearer from adversity.

Specific techniques

Running stitch; chain stitch; cross stitch; couching; satin stitch.

Physical description

Woman’s dress with multicoloured bodice, wrist-length wide sleeves, and very full, closely gathered skirt. The bodice front is embellished with a densely embroidered panel of floral forms and tree of life motifs in orange, white and green in chain stitch on maroon ground; appliquéd over the embroidery are four large, thick discs embellished with silver thread embroidery and mirrors on black ground, two located at the centre front and two over the breasts; the bodice back is made from deep pink and black striped textile. The neck opening is trimmed with silver thread embroidery; there is a button and loop made of twisted fibre at the centre back neckline. The sleeves consist of panels of red and orange cotton textile; wide cuffs are embellished with chain stitch embroidery on black cotton textile. The front of the skirt is made of plain black cotton textile; the back of the skirt is pieced from panels of machine-printed deep pink cotton textile and deep pink plain cotton broadcloth. Where the bodice and skirt join at the high waist, there is a large, red, triangular amulet attached at centre front, embellished with silver thread embroidery and silk or rayon tassels trimmed with cowrie shells and beads. A pocket is located on the left side of the skirt. Lengths of twisted brown cord hang from the sides of the bodice. The bodice is lined with coarsely woven cotton. There is a horizontal tuck in the skirt at hip level, and a there is a large plastic button on each shoulder.