
- Elephant patolu
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Elephant patolu
- Place of origin:
Gujarat (made)
- Date:
19th century (made)
- Artist/Maker:
Unknown
- Materials and Techniques:
Double ikat silk
- Museum number:
IS.74-1993
- Gallery location:
In Storage
This type of silk cloth is called a ‘patolu’. The design of four large elephants fills the entire length of the cloth. As far as we can judge, ‘patola’ of this type were made in Gujarat, India, exclusively for export to Indonesia. There they fulfilled a ceremonial role for their aristocratic owners. Over time people came to treasure ‘patola’ as heirlooms, revere them as sacred objects and credit them with magical powers.
The weaving technique used to create ‘patola’ is very sophisticated. Weavers tie and dye the warp and weft threads in patterns and then weave them together to create a pattern on both sides of the cloth.