Man's coat
In the winter of 1868/69 the tea planter and explorer Robert Shaw travelled from northern India to Eastern Turkestan (now Xinjian, China). His journey was partly to help British India’s secret service in the exploration of Central Asia which was politically and geographically contested by the British Empire and Russia.
Shaw was the first Englishman to visit Yarkand and Kashgar, and he related his adventures in his book Visits to High Tartary, Yarkand, and Kashgar. He described the splendid clothes he encountered and mentioned on several occasions receiving gifts of coats and other garments.
The finest of these were presented by Yakub Beg, then ruler of Kashgar. Shaw’s detailed description makes the collection of Central Asian ikat garments one of the best recorded.
This embroidered silk coat is referred to by Shaw in this passage from his book:
"Kashgar, Tuesday, April 6th - This morning the Sircar [Treasurer] brought me as a parting present from the King … a robe of crimson satin, gorgeous with gold and embroidery..." (Robert Shaw, Visits to High Tartary, Yarkand and Kashgar, 1871)
Details
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Title
Man's coat
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Associated people
Robert Shaw (1839 - 1879) (owner) -
Associated place
Kashgar (place of creation) -
Date
1801 - 1869 -
Material and technique
silk, embroidered with silk and metal thread; ikat-dyed silk and cotton lining
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Material index
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Technique index
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Object type
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Dimensions
width at sleeve 145 x 221 cm (height x width)
width at hem 145 x 99 cm (height x width) -
No. of items
1
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Credit line
Transferred from the Indian Institute, University of Oxford.
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Museum location
Museum department
Eastern Art
Accession no.
EAX.3975
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Further reading
Barnes, Ruth, ‘Dressing for the Great Game: the Robert Shaw Collection in the Ashmolean Museum’, Khil`a, 1, (2005), illus. p. 12 fig. 11
Reference URL
