Brocade Cushions

Heavy silk brocades in mid-20th century India were predominantly woven in Banaras, which is said to be the oldest city continuously in existence to the present. In the narrow streets of this city, crowded workshops containing from one to six looms set up side by side, were used to make some of the most incredible pieces woven today.

Brocades were usually characterised by the use of gold or silver thread. Most Banarasi brocades were composed of gold patterning on a silk ground. But it was the gold threads or kalabattu that traditionally characterised these fabrics.

Banarasi brocade saris from the 1950's were exquisite in design and the silk, along with the gold and silver threads added considerably to its weight. For this and perhaps other reasons, they are worn considerably less frequently than in the last century. Instead, people with discerning taste have repurposed these silks to other uses - formal long jackets, occasional-use batuas, decorative cushions and wall hangings are but a few of the uses that these wonderful Bananasi brocades are being put to today.