Ikat length
- Place of origin:
- Date:
- Artist/Maker:
- Materials and Techniques:
Silk and cotton warp ikat
- Museum number:
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This ikat textile was made in Central Asia in the nineteenth century – the moment at which these textiles are often thought to be at their finest in terms of design and technique, and certainly the period of ikat's greatest popularity. These textiles are distinctive nineteenth-century creations, full of unmistakable urban energy; but they are also the product of a culture in which the making of textiles had been, for many centuries, a treasured and highly skilled speciality. The making and trading of fine fabrics had been one of Central Asia's chief economic activities ever since the beginnings of the Silk Road. And all through the long period of Islamic dominance, crucial skills and standards of judgment were preserved. Ikats reach back to an unparalleled textile tradition.
Central Asian ikat fabrics were woven in long lengths like this example and were then used to make larger textiles of one of two types. They were either made into clothing or enlarged and used as hangings around the home. Ikats were high status items, often made under the patronage of the courts. The complex and highly skilled method of production – a process of resist dyeing the silk threads before weaving – meant that ikats were labour-intensive and expensive to produce. For this reason ikat clothing was often reserved for special occasions such as weddings and funerals, and was also given by members of the court as ‘robes of honour’ (khilat) to thank or honour high-ranking guests.
Physical description
Narrow length of ikat fabric with a repeating pattern in red on a yellow background.
Place of Origin
Central Asia (made)
Date
before 1875 (made)
Artist/maker
Unknown (production)
Materials and Techniques
Silk and cotton warp ikat
Dimensions
Length: 178 cm, Width: 41.8 cm
Object history note
The earliest dated Central Asian ikats in the UK are from the Shaw collection at the Ashmolean Museum, which are known to date from before 1868. The V&A’s collection of lengths of ikat fabrics came into the collection in 1880 from the India Office. Documentation handed over with them record that they were purchased on two separate occasions, the first group in Kabul in 1870 and the second (including this piece) in Yarkand (modern-day Shache in China) in April 1875. We can therefore date these textiles to prior to these acquisition years.
Historical context note
The ‘golden age’ of nineteenth century Central Asian ikats is closely bound up with the economic and cultural dynamism of the cities which produced it – such as Samarkand and Bukhara, in modern-day Uzbekistan, and Kabul and Kunduz in Afghanistan. Large neighbourhoods existed to house the dyers, weavers, binders and designers whose collaborative activity went into the making of ikat fabrics.
Central Asian ikat fabrics were woven in long lengths like this example and were then used to make larger textiles of one of two types. They were either made into clothing or enlarged and used as hangings around the home. Ikats were high status items, often made under the patronage of the courts. The complex and highly skilled method of production – a process of resist dyeing the silk threads before weaving – meant that ikats were labour-intensive and expensive to produce. For this reason ikat clothing was often reserved for special occasions such as weddings and funerals, and was also given by members of the court as ‘robes of honour’ (khilat) to thank or honour high-ranking guests.
Descriptive line
Narrow length of ikat fabric with a red design on yellow background
Bibliographic References (Citation, Note/Abstract, NAL no)
Clark, Ruby Central Asian Ikats, V&A Publications, London, 2007. 96 p. : ill. (chiefly col.) ISBN: 9781851775255 (pbk.) 1851775250 (pbk.) p. 90
Exhibition History
Central Asian Ikats from the Rau Collection (Victoria and Albert Museum 05/11/2007-30/03/2008)
Labels and date
Ikat length with red design on yellow background
Acquired Yarkand, 1875
Silk and cotton
Museum no. 2110 (IS) [05/11/2007 to 30/03/2008]
Production Note
Acquired in Yarkand (modern-day Shache in China) in 1875
Techniques
Resist-dyeing; Ikat
Categories
Textiles
Collection code
T&F
