SILK SKEINS AND COCOONS Silk is reeled or spun from the filaments of the silkworm’s cocoon and then woven. India’s ‘wild’ silks come from the larvae of the Antheraea genus of moths, which are native to eastern and central India. Mulberry silk was introduced to India from China about 2000 years ago. Different parts of silk cocoons are used to make different textures of silk yarn. Silk skeins (Top, left to right): eri, tasar (semi-bleached ghicha), mulberry waste (fesua), muga (machine-reeled) (Bottom): muga (ghicha), tasar (jhurri), tasar (nassi), tasar (katia) Assam, Odisha and Madhya Pradesh, 2014 V&A: IS.16 to 23-2015 Silk cocoons (left to right): Muga silkworm, eri silkworm, mulberry silkworm Assam, 2006 Private collection Mulberry silk skeins Bengal, 1818 V&A: IS.57-1990 [03/10/2015-10/01/2016] [03/10/2015-10/01/2016]