The Collection

The story of this piece

An unusual piece — the ground is divided into panels, each containing a scene from Kashmiri daily life: a weaver at his loom, a shepherd with his flock, a woman spinning, a man carrying wool. The border carries a procession of figures in traditional dress. Shameema's most personal work.

A note on the hand. Shameema works sozni — the finest needlework Kashmir produces. She prefers walnut-dyed thread and works only in daylight, beside a window that faces east. Her father was a copyist of Quranic manuscripts; she says she inherited the steady hand, not the calligraphy.