Vermilion Hand Painted Madhubani Tussar Ghicha Silk Saree – Bhagalpuri

Aruna

A clear vermilion body, and a pallu painted in bands — peacocks with curling crests, lotus opening between them, rows of flowers and leaf running the width, and a crowned figure standing among vines at the border.

About the painting

This is hand-painted Mithila work, drawn directly onto the silk. The pencil underdrawing shows through in places, the hatching that fills each petal and feather was laid stroke by stroke, and no two birds along the pallu are quite alike. A screen repeats; a hand does not.

The composition is built in registers — parallel bands running the width of the pallu, each with its own subject, each separated by a fine geometric border. It is a way of filling a space that Mithila painters have used for generations, and it rewards looking at close range: there is something different in every band.

The palette has been held soft — coral, teal, dusty blue, ochre — so that it sits against the vermilion rather than fighting it.

About the fabric

Tussar Ghicha silk, handwoven in Bhagalpur. Ghicha is the yarn drawn from the outer layers of the cocoon and spun by hand — hence the slubby, uneven texture and the soft matte lustre. The vermilion is deep and slightly uneven across the slub, which is what keeps it from looking flat.

Details

• Fabric: Tussar Ghicha Silk
• Colour: Vermilion red with natural beige
• Work: Hand-painted Madhubani (Mithila), painted directly onto the silk
• Pallu: Registers of peacock, lotus and flowering vine with a figure at the border
• Border: Hand-painted Madhubani, both sides
• Blouse piece: unstitched, 0.8 m
• Saree length: 5.5 m | Width: 1.1 m
• Care: Dry clean only. Do not soak or scrub the painted areas. Store wrapped in cotton or muslin, refold along a different line every few months.

A note on hand work

Each piece is woven individually and painted by hand, so no two are alike. Slight irregularities in the slub, in the line, and in the density of colour are the marks of the hand that made it. Colour may vary a little from your screen.