Chikankari

チカンカリ刺繍 / living tradition / Technique / Textile Traditions

Embroidery associated especially with Lucknow, using fine white stitches on delicate cloth. Flat work, raised stitches and open jaali areas make flowers legible through light and shadow. It is a regional repertoire and collaborative practice, rather than a name for all white embroidery.

Chikankari — Chikan embroidery, front, Lucknow — photo: Joey Berzowska — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 — Chikan embroidery, front, Lucknow — photo: Joey Berzowska — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 · CC BY 2.0

Chikankari — Chikan embroidery, reverse, Lucknow — photo: Joey Berzowska — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 — Chikan embroidery, reverse, Lucknow — photo: Joey Berzowska — Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0 · CC BY 2.0

At a glance

Visual cues

White flowers and stems on fine cotton
Flat and raised stitches producing small shadows
Open jaali areas changing the fabric's density
Fine lines and light spacing rather than large colour fields

Best used for

Showing the relief of white embroidery through lighting and enlarged photographs
Developing garments or household textiles with makers around delicacy and fine handwork

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Dictionary entry

Type: Keep explanations on a separate readable surface rather than over the cloth.
Composition: Group flowers and stems lightly, alternating openwork with areas of intact cloth.
Material: Test fine cloth and thread, and photograph from an angle that reveals stitch height.
Caution: Not all whitework is chikankari. Document the maker, process and material individually, including modern coloured threads and additional embellishment.
Further study: V&A — Chikan whitework from Lucknow / Flat, raised and jaali stitches / National Portal of India — Lucknow Chikan Craft

Related entries

Kantha (カンタ刺繍)Same Textile Traditions lineage.Compare Chikankari and Kantha
Zardozi (ザルドージ刺繍)Same Textile Traditions lineage.Compare Chikankari and Zardozi

Cite this entry

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Link: https://indexstyle.org/styles/chikankari
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