Palampore thumbnail 1
Palampore thumbnail 2
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Palampore

ca. 1720-1740 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This partial palampore (bed- or wall-hanging) is a superbly drawn and dyed example of the chintz furnishings exported to Europe in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The fine white designs against coloured grounds are produced by drawing the designs in wax with a bamboo pen (kalam) and then immersing the cloth in the dye-vat. The vase from which the flowering tree emerges is taken from a western source: its floating 'rim' suggests that the Indian artist was not familiar with this type of decoration.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Painted and dyed cotton chintz
Brief description
Palampore of painted and dyed cotton chintz, Coromandel Coast, ca. 1720-1740
Physical description
Large rectangular palampore (bed-cover or wall-hanging) of painted and dyed cotton chintz. The design is of a sinuous flowering tree rising from a stylised pot set between two mounds. A border with a lace-like floral pattern runs around three edges.
Dimensions
  • Top width: 1892mm
  • Bottom width: 1894mm
  • Proper right length: 2485mm
  • Proper left length: 2489mm
  • Object with the roller weight: 5kg
Credit line
Given by G. P. Baker
Object history
Given by G.P.Baker
Subjects depicted
Summary
This partial palampore (bed- or wall-hanging) is a superbly drawn and dyed example of the chintz furnishings exported to Europe in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. The fine white designs against coloured grounds are produced by drawing the designs in wax with a bamboo pen (kalam) and then immersing the cloth in the dye-vat. The vase from which the flowering tree emerges is taken from a western source: its floating 'rim' suggests that the Indian artist was not familiar with this type of decoration.
Bibliographic references
  • Irwin, John and Katherine Brett, Origins of Chintz, London, 1970. With a catalogue of Indo-European cotton-paintings in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, and the Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto. ISBN 112900534. pp. 72-73, cat. no. 16, pl. 14
  • Crill, Rosemary, Chintz: Indian Textiles for the West, London, 2008. Plate 9, p. 43
Collection
Accession number
IS.36-1950

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Record createdFebruary 22, 2006
Record URL
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