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28 gradations of tone. After this general comparison of two of the finest pieces of craftmanship in this collection of cloths, some consideration of them in detail may be of value.

GS 15 (Figs. 20 and 20a). This skirt belonged to a Shan woman of the better class living in the Bhamo district, and consists of two strips of cloth, each 120 cm. by 38 cm., rather roughly joined together lengthways. The weft is black with the exception of the very fine lines dividing the patterns, but the warp is alternately red and black; this arrangement would be of service in picking up the threads when working the pattern.

As can be seen from Figure 20, which shews the general plan of the skirt decoration, a large pattern alternates with two smaller ones, and although the depth remains the same in each repeat the width varies, so that some patterns are more compressed than others. The width depends on the number of picks between the rows of brocade weaving, they vary from one to four, but in no case does