The Collection

The story of this piece

A garden of peacocks and cranes in gold thread on navy — the birds inhabit a flowering garden whose branches reach every corner. The lower border carries a row of cypress trees alternating with flowering plants. One of the most formally composed pieces in this season's ledger.

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.