SHI SHA, TEA COSY

A colourful tea cosy, hand stitched in shisha technique using traditional reflective mica discs. Having no holes, the discs are attached to the background fabric with criss-crossed threads. Pakistan early 20th century.

Shisha means glass or mirror in Persian and Hindi. The mirrors were not merely decorative, their reflective properties are credited with deflecting evil spirits.

Shisha work, also known as mirror work, is applied decorative needlework characterised by small pieces of reflective material sewn onto a cloth ground material.. It is popular in many parts of Asia. The term derives from (Persian) shisheh for 'glass'. In parts of India this type of work is also known as Abhala Bharat (Hindi).