At first glance, there could be many interpretations of this piece. Leafing through my books one day, I discovered four of them in various colors, but basically the same shape and design. Under the photo that was fairly small was a brief description. This piece is from Afghanistan and is called a sai goshas, and it is usually done in an embroidered cross stitch. The piece is used for decorating rolled-up bedding during the day. What a grand and colorful way to leave a bedroll as you leave your slumber to face the day. Now, or course, I began to wonder what the western equivalent of this might be, and I think I might have come up with something that is compromising but comparable.
This is a pillow cover that one would place over the pillow to give a decorative and finished look to a bed along with a stunning quilt or perhaps a cover of equal merit. What inspires me is the desire to leave a sleeping quarters with a sense of completion and beauty. Perhaps now we simply throw on a store-bought sham, but for many it was a place of comfort as well as beauty. To spend many hours laboring over such a piece must have had great symbolic value.
The decoration of the sleeping area is a wonderful invitation to return to bed and know that it has been blessed by beauty. That embroidered cover is very lovely. How old do you think it is?
The sai gosha is wonderful. Is that one cross stitched? The basic fabric is cotton? I think that I would end up wearing something that special but I can easily see it on a bed roll.
Where do you find all these treasures?
Do you store them in any special way? I ask because I have a huipil and I have it is in a piece of cotton fabric but then it is in a plastic bag and I am not sure that is good for it.
I will go back and give more detail and description of this piece later. I am off with my husband to a college reunion until Sunday to Vermont, but hope to be posting a little along the way.
It is best to not store any textile in plastic. Wrap it first in acid-free tissue paper (you can buy this online) and then wrap it in a clean cloth if you want. I can send you more details of this that I have in books. The main thing is to leave “breathing room”. Sounds funny, but textiles don’t like plastic.
Both pieces have their own beauty. It’s interesting to think of how two different cultures express the same idea.
I think there is a lot of crossover between cultures. Too bad we always think there is such disparity.
this is great, pleas do use your expertise to offer cultural comparison. i think this is very important insight.
I need to do a lot more research than I have been doing lately, but this is what I love so it should be easy and fun.
absolutely, your heart is here.