Blouse of Parsi Woman (jubla)

Embroidery of very distinct characteristics developed in the urban center of Surat, on the north west coast of India. A colony of Chinese immigrants started producing garments for another immigrant colony, that of the Parsis who originated in Iran, where they were persecuted and therefore migrated to India.The design as well as the stitch work are typically Chinese, yet the garments are Indian in nature, like saris, skullcaps and most distinctly blouses. Jubla is a simply shaped and sleeveless silk blouse with embroidery covering front and back with densely embroidered bands around the neck and sleeve openings and the bottom hem. The design is mostly figurative with flowers, animals and people of various sizes all arranged in vignettes or linear order. This jubla is decorated with bands of figures in various landscapes and engaged in multiple activities.Some are European and some Chinese. There is a hunter on a horse with a gun, A guard wielding a sword, a banner carrier, a woman in a garden setting and others. The detailing is quite extraordinary and the satin stitch embroidery is reminiscent of the figurative work on made for export Canton shawls.