Skirt Cloth
19th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This fine-quality cotton skirt-cloth (Malay/Indonesian: 'kain sembagi') was made in southern India, probably Tamilnadu. It was intended for export to the Malay-world of western Indonesia. The trade in painted cotton textiles to this region was prospering in the period 1800-1900, and Indian workshops produced cloths expressly to meet the needs of local markets.
This trellis-pattern floral design has block-printing in the borders and would have found a ready market amongst the Muslim communities of coastal Sumatra.
This trellis-pattern floral design has block-printing in the borders and would have found a ready market amongst the Muslim communities of coastal Sumatra.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Block-printed, mordant-dyed and resist-dyed cotton |
| Brief description | Skirt cloth (kain sembagi) of mordant-dyed, resist-dyed and block-printed cotton, Coromandel Coast, 19th century |
| Physical description | Skirt cloth (kain sembagi) of mordant-dyed and resist-dyed cotton, and block-printed in the borders. Red and dark red with white colours. |
| Dimensions |
|
| Production | Textiles for south Sumatran market. |
| Summary | This fine-quality cotton skirt-cloth (Malay/Indonesian: 'kain sembagi') was made in southern India, probably Tamilnadu. It was intended for export to the Malay-world of western Indonesia. The trade in painted cotton textiles to this region was prospering in the period 1800-1900, and Indian workshops produced cloths expressly to meet the needs of local markets. This trellis-pattern floral design has block-printing in the borders and would have found a ready market amongst the Muslim communities of coastal Sumatra. |
| Bibliographic reference | John Guy, Woven Cargoes. Indian textiles in the East, Thames and Hudson, 1998, pl. 65. |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.90-1990 |
About this object record
Explore the Collections contains over a million catalogue records, and over half a million images. It is a working database that includes information compiled over the life of the museum. Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis. We are committed to addressing these issues, and to review and update our records accordingly.
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
You can write to us to suggest improvements to the record.
Suggest feedback
| Record created | March 17, 2000 |
| Record URL |
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest
