An independent scholarly archive · Est. 2026 · New Delhi
A Textile Archive
The Krishna Lal Collection
Home/Collection/Bihar/KL/31/2024◂ PreviousObject 31 of 55Next ▸
Madhubani painting · Bihar

Traditional Madhubani Silk Sari

KL/31/2024 · Accession218" × 46"Madhubani paintingCatalogued 20.07.2024Good condition
↗ Cite↧ Download record★ Save
KL/31/2024 · PLATE 01
IIIF DEEP-ZOOM · 8400 × 10500
10 cm
Full Object — Front — high-resolution archival photograph
© The Krishna Lal Collection · Photography by [studio] · Licensed CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 for scholarly use. Request high-resolution access via Research Office.
Catalogue Record

Object Metadata

Accession Number
KL/31/2024
Object Title
Traditional Madhubani Silk Sari
Production State
Bihar
Craft Tradition
Madhubani painting
Craft Technique
Hand painting
Weave Type
Plain weave ground, hand-painted
Primary Materials
Silk · Natural pigments
Tradition
Madhubani
Dimensions
218" × 46" (L × W)
Colour Palette
MaroonBlackYellow
Condition
Good — Stable, no active deterioration
Current Location
The Krishna Lal Collection, New Delhi
Documented By
Sareekah Agarwaal
Documented On
20.07.2024
Schema Standard
Getty Art & Architecture Thesaurus (AAT)
§ I — Curatorial Narrative
by Sareekah Agarwaal, 2024

A Madhubani hand-painted sari on tussar silk, adorned with mythological patterns and motifs that tell a captivating story.

The design features an array of elements, including the sun, tortoise, flowers, fish, snakes, crows, parrots, and human figures, each adding to the narrative. The sari’s lengthwise borders feature a recurring parrot motif, with each parrot separated by a delicate floral shrub.

One of the borders is unique in that it depicts pairs of traditional women holding hands, each separated by a flowering tree. Small parrot motifs adorn the sari’s body, unifying the entire pattern.

The centrepiece is the pallu (end- piece), featuring a goddess surrounded by multi-coloured designs and motifs. The vibrant colour palette accentuates the subtle glow of the golden silk, making the sari even more appealing.

Footnotes
  1. 1 See Mohanty, B.C., Ikat Fabrics of Orissa and Andhra Pradesh, Calico Museum, 1980.
  2. 2 Field interview, master weaver, March 2024.
  3. 3 Refer to motif index entries below.
§ II — Motif Analysis
2 motifs identified
Fish
मत्स्य

Abundance, prosperity, conjugal felicity. Identified across the body field of this object.

Open motif entry
Vines
लताएँ

Continuity; the rhythm of nature. Identified across the creeping borders of this object.

Open motif entry
§ III — Technique
Madhubani painting

Madhubani
Painting

Several of India's painted-textile traditions descend directly from ritual wall and floor art: Madhubani from the Mithila murals of Bihar, Warli from the Adivasi wall paintings of Maharashtra, Sohrai from the harvest art of eastern India. Applied to silk and cotton with natural pigments and bamboo or twig pens, they carry a graphic, narrative density unlike any woven design.

STEP 01
Prime the cloth
STEP 02
Sketch the composition
STEP 03
Fill with natural pigments
STEP 04
Outline and detail
Open technique family
DIAGRAM — Hand Painting process
Fig. III.1 · Hand Painting · Pigments on cloth
Cite This Object
Agarwaal, S. (2024). Traditional Madhubani Silk Sari (KL/31/2024). The Krishna Lal Collection: An Archive of Indian Textile Traditions. Retrieved 01 Jun 2026 from krishnalal-collection.org/collection/kl-31-2024.
ChicagoMLAAPABibTeX
Institutional Access
High-resolution archival files and physical examination access are available to museums and accredited researchers.
Open Research Inquiry