Hunza valley embroidery
Gold Cushion Cover with Rust Stepped Medallion
Cushions
On a sandy gold ground sits a large stepped central medallion in rust-red and ochre, with hooked and arrow-like forms at the corners and a small diamond at its heart. The bold stepped silhouette and hooked terminals recall the tribal geometric motifs of Hunza heritage work, in the manner of ibex-horn and stepped-diamond forms. Worked in the manner of cross stitch on a woven base, its warm earth tones lend a grounded, tribal character to a seat.
The tradition
Hunza valley embroidery
Embroidery is the secret weapon behind Hunza Carpet, and the cushion covers are where it is most intimate. The tradition grows out of the pillbox caps that Hunza women embroidered for their own use, worked with Chinese silk that arrived over the passes on Silk Route caravans.
Today educated women artisans embroider cushion covers with the same fine silk-thread stitches, reviving old cap-and-veil designs alongside new compositions for the home.
Motifs & meaning
Reading the design
Cushion designs draw directly on the names and meanings recorded in Hunza's embroidery tradition.
Turangkish
Ibex horns — the emblem of the Karakoram's wild goat.
Tamuts
The snow leopard, elusive guardian of the high mountains.
Urki itsu
A wolf's foot, a protective tracking motif.
Kishtimuts
A boat, recalling travel and the crossing of waters.
Materials & technique
How it is made
Hand-embroidered in real silk thread using Hunza's traditional stitches — erāghi cross and roll stitch, qalmi long-and-short floral work — on a woven ground.
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