GOLD EMBROIDERY. Zardozi, HIND. The oriental races have ever been celebrated for their skill in this art of embroidery, which appears to have been practised in Assyria, and introduced from thence into India. Pliny, however, mentions that it was a Phrygian invention, and in Rome embroiderers were called Phrygiones. In Babylon, clothes were woven of different colours, and called Babylonica. During the early part of the middle ages, Europe obtained its Inost important em broideries from Greece and the east. Many of the sarees or women's cloths made at Benares, Pytun, and Burhanpur, in Gujerat ; at Narrain pet and Dhanwarum, in the territory of His High ness the Nizatn ; at Yeokla in Kandesh, and in other localities, have gold thread in broad and narrow stripes alternating with silk or muslin. Gold flowers, checks, or zigzag patterns are used, the colours of the grounds being green, black, violet, crinison, purple, and grey ; and in silk, black shot with crimson or yellow, crimson with green, blue, or white, yellow with deep crimson and blue, all producing rich, harmonious, and even gorgeous effects, but without the least appearance of or approach to glaring colour, or offence to the most critical taste. They are colours and effects which suit the dark or fair complexions of the people of the E. Indies ; for an Indian lady who can afford to be choice in the selection of her wardrobe, is as particular as to what will suit her especial colour—dark or com paratively fair—as any lady of Britain or Prance. India in this manufacture stands unrivalled, and it makes some very gorgeous shamianahs and elephant saddle - cloths. The gold and silver fancy fringes of Hyderabad are well known in India. Solid silver wire fringes and ornaments aro made in Madura, but they are surpassed by the silver thread of Hyderabad.
In the embroidered fabrics of India, it may be mentioned as a principle, that patterns and colours diversify plane surfaces without destroying or disturbing the impression of flatness. They are remarkable for the rich diversion shown in the patterns, the beauty, distinctness, and variety of the forms, and the harmonious blending of several colours.
In Burhaupur, most of the people are dependent in one way or other on the wire-drawing and cloth weaving industries of the place. The value of its fine fabrics depends mainly on the ptuity of the metals employed in the composition of the wire, and to secure this the wire-drawing has always been kept under Government inspection. A here
ditary tester, called the chaukasi, received and assayed all the silver and gold brought to the taksal or mint (where the Burhanpur rupee was also coined), and here the wire was drawn out to a certain degree of fineness before being allowed to pas.s again into the hands of the manufacturers, an arrangement still continued by the British. The drawing takes place only at Burhanpur and Lodlti pura, a suburb of the old city. The silver bars aro covered with a thin gold leaf weighing from four to forty-two masha (of fifteen graina troy each) to each pasa, that is, from about half to six per cent. on the amount of the silver. The number of masha employed is called the rang (colour) of the wire. The adhesion appears to be effected purely by mechanical skill on the part of the workmen, called pasa tania. It is then passed by the same workmen through a series of holes in steel plates, of diminishing size, by manual power applied by means of a spoked wheel of the rudest construction. It is passed through forty of these holes before it leaves the taksal, and is then re duced to about the size of an ordinary sodawater wire. Thence it goes into the hands of another set of operatives, c,alled tania, who still further reduce it through a gradation of forty more holes, the last of which is as fine as a human hair.
Their apparatus is of somewhat more delicate construction, but the work requires neither the same skill nor hard work as the first operation. The wire is drawn by them down to various de grees of fineness, according to the work for which it is destined. The round wire is then given to the chapria, who flatten it into an almost impalp able film, by hammering between two polished steel surfaces,—an operation requiring, it is said, superior skill. In this state it is termed badla, and is used for some few sorts of work. The greater part of it has, however, to be spun into a thread along with silk before being woven up. This is done by persons called bitai, who use no sort of apparatus for the purpose, excepting a couple of wooden spindles twirled by the hand. Indeed, the beauty of the result obtained by such primitive implements must strike every one with amazement. The layer of gold on the finest wire must be of almost inconceivable thinness. The mixed thread is called kalabatun, which is woven into the kimkhab and other brilliant fabrics worn by rich natives on high occasions.