Orenburg Downy Shawl Goat wool Russian Warm Openwork Pattern White 43"x40"

Orenburg Downy Shawl Goat wool Down Russian Warm Openwork Pattern White approximately 43"x40". Vintage New 1970s. Made in the Soviet Union, in a country that no longer exists.

The Orenburg shawlis a Russian knitted lace textile using goat down and stands as one of the classic symbols of
Russian handicraft. Because of the high cost of down hair and yarn, an original hand-made Orenburg shawl or kerchief is an expensive luxury item.

Origins
This type of finelyknit, down-hair lace shawl originated in the Orenburg area about 250 years ago, in the 18th century. The Orenburg region of Russia is famous for its shawls, known as Orenburg shawls/scarves/ "Orenburgskyi Platok" in Russian. In the English-speaking world, they are often called "wedding ring shawls" because, although the shawls are quite large, a shawl knit in the traditional fashion is so fine that it can be pulled through a wedding ring (see the last picture).

Composition
The shawls are made from a blend ofsilkand indigenous goat