Textile thumbnail 1
Textile thumbnail 2
Not currently on display at the V&A

Textile

late 17th century-18th century (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This ceremonial hanging was made in Gujarat, western India, for the Indonesian market. The subject matter of a royal hunting scene is a long established theme in western Indian painted cotton textiles. The style of the costumes recalls court dress of the period from about 1650-1725 century in neighbouring Rajasthan, which had become fashionable across courtly India.

Although made of block-printed cotton, this hanging is in the style of a Gujarati silk ‘patolu’. The ‘patolu’ was a luxury item produced using a sophisticated tie and dye weaving technique that created a pattern on both sides of the silk. Here, however, the design has been hand-printed, using wooden blocks with the pattern carved in relief.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Block-printed and mordant-dyed cotton
Brief description
Ceremonial hanging of block-printed and mordant-dyed cotton, Gujarat, late 17th century-18th century
Physical description
Ceremonial hanging of block-printed and mordant-dyed cotton. With a hunting scene design.
Dimensions
  • Length: 435cm
  • Width: 95.5cm
Production
Made for the Indonesian market
Literary referencehunting scene
Summary
This ceremonial hanging was made in Gujarat, western India, for the Indonesian market. The subject matter of a royal hunting scene is a long established theme in western Indian painted cotton textiles. The style of the costumes recalls court dress of the period from about 1650-1725 century in neighbouring Rajasthan, which had become fashionable across courtly India.

Although made of block-printed cotton, this hanging is in the style of a Gujarati silk ‘patolu’. The ‘patolu’ was a luxury item produced using a sophisticated tie and dye weaving technique that created a pattern on both sides of the silk. Here, however, the design has been hand-printed, using wooden blocks with the pattern carved in relief.
Bibliographic reference
John Guy, Woven Cargoes. Indian Textiles in the East, Thames and Hudson, 1998, p. 117 pl. 153.
Collection
Accession number
IS.97-1990

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 Some of our records may contain offensive and discriminatory language, or reflect outdated ideas, practice and analysis.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

Record createdMay 4, 2000
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest