Saddle Cloth thumbnail 1
Saddle Cloth thumbnail 2
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Not on display

This object consists of 13 parts, some of which may be located elsewhere.

Saddle Cloth

Place of origin
Rajasthan (made)

Set of horse trapping and firearm accessories. Saddle cloth of crimson velvet with green, blue, and black velvet borders embellished in the 'thousand nail' technique in which the design is formed by tiny gilt brass studs driven into a velvet ground. The fringe is attached separately; a band of knotted cord wrapped with silk and silver-gilt strip is finished with silk and silver-gilt wrapped thread tassels. The saddle cloth is lined with a pink and white striped mashru (silk & cotton mixed fabric) with a dark blue cotton patterned with white silk stripes around the border.

Object details

Categories
Arms & Armour
Animals and Wildlife
Transport
Equestrian Equipment
Object type
Saddle cloth
Parts
This object consists of 13 parts.

  • Saddle Cloth
  • Headstall
  • Crupper
  • Firearm Accessory
  • Firearm Accessory
  • Firearm Accessory
  • Firearm Accessory
  • Firearm Accessory
  • Firearm Accessory
  • Firearm Accessory
  • Firearm Accessory
  • Firearm Accessory
  • Firearm Accessory
Materials and techniques
Velvet
Brass
Metal Strip
Cotton Thread
Cotton (Textile)
Silk (Textile)
Brief description
Saddle cloth of crimson velvet. Bridle, crupper and five pieces of matchlock accoutrements to match. Udaipur.
Physical description
Set of horse trapping and firearm accessories. Saddle cloth of crimson velvet with green, blue, and black velvet borders embellished in the 'thousand nail' technique in which the design is formed by tiny gilt brass studs driven into a velvet ground. The fringe is attached separately; a band of knotted cord wrapped with silk and silver-gilt strip is finished with silk and silver-gilt wrapped thread tassels. The saddle cloth is lined with a pink and white striped mashru (silk & cotton mixed fabric) with a dark blue cotton patterned with white silk stripes around the border.
Dimensions
  • Saddle cloth length: 99cm (not including fringe)
  • Saddle cloth width: 165cm (not including fringe)
  • Height: 500mm (of tail ornament)
  • Width: 100mm (of tail ornament)
  • Depth: 80mm (of tail ornament)
Bibliographic references
  • Jackson, Anna and Jaffer, Amin (eds), with Deepika Ahlawat. Maharaja : the splendour of India's royal courts. London, V&A Publishing, 2009. ISBN.9781851775736 (hbk.), ISBN.1851775730 (hbk.). Plate 131, page 157.
  • Jackson, Anna and Ji Wei (eds.) with Rosemary Crill, Ainsley M. Cameron and Nicholas Barnard, compiled by the Palace Museum, translated by Yuan Hong, Qi Yue and Liu Ran. The Splendour of India' Royal Courts : Collection of the Victoria and Albert Museum. Beijing: the Forbidden City Publishing House, 2013. Text in English and Chinese. ISBN 9787513403917. pps. 170-172 (horse saddle cloth only)
  • Miller, Lesley Ellis, and Ana Cabrera Lafuente, with Claire Allen-Johnstone, eds. Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd in association with the Victoria and Albert Museum, 2021. ISBN 978-0-500-48065-6. This object features in the publication Silk: Fibre, Fabric and Fashion (2021)
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
888-1852

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O450026/saddle-cloth/
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