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Cap
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
Historically in India, head coverings were worn in outdoor and formal contexts and can signal age, allegiance, and status among Indian men and boys. A low round cap such as this was worn primarily by the well-educated aristocratic boys in the king’s circle. The painstaking process of creating the ornament involved wrapping gilt-silver wire of various dimensions around a silk thread core to create a textured appearance for the flowers and vines.
Cleveland Museum of Art’s own descriptionCredit lineCap, 1800s. India. Velvet embroidered with gilt-silver–wrapped silk thread (zari); silk: lining; rubies, pearls, and spinels; overall: 6.3 x 15.2 x 15.2 cm (2 1/2 x 6 x 6 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade, 1916.1477
