AN IKAT ROBE, UZBEKISTAN, EARLY 20TH CENTURY

An elegant silk Ikat robe lined in red cotton.

Central Asian ikat textiles are a testament to the power of pattern and are influenced by the various cultures along the historic Silk Road. Employing creative use of scale, proportion, and orientation, with hues that are compelling in their purposeful contrast, these luxury fabrics functioned as beacons of kaleidoscopic color that reflected the wealth and sophistication of its patrons. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the region experienced a renaissance in ikat, a technique where silk threads were bound and resist-dyed with a design before weaving into cloth. The result were vivid patterns with blurred, cloud-like juxtapositions of color, known locally as abrbandi (literally “cloud binding”). When worn on the body or decorating the home, these textiles resonated against the Central Asian landscape.