Temple Cloth
19th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
Brahmanical temple cloth of coarse cotton fabric painted, chiefly in red and black, with Vaishnava subjects illustrating the incarnations (avatares) of the Hindu deity Vishnu.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Painted cotton |
| Brief description | Kalamkari temple cloth of painted cotton depicting the Alagar Koyil Chittirai festival, made in the Madurai area, Tamil Nadu, 19th century |
| Physical description | Brahmanical temple cloth of coarse cotton fabric painted, chiefly in red and black, with Vaishnava subjects illustrating the incarnations (avatares) of the Hindu deity Vishnu. |
| Dimensions |
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| Marks and inscriptions | (Inscriptions are in Tamil.) |
| Credit line | Purchased from Alfred Flemming |
| Object history | These 8 panels of Indian cotton were originally the property of General Sir Arthur Ellis (King Edward’s Equerry) to whom they were presented by a Maharajah. Sir Arthur Ellis sold them about 1878 to the carpet dealer Vincent J Robinson, who lent them in 1880 to the South Kensington Museum, where they were exhibited in the Indian Section until 1896. [Letter from A Fleming to V&A, 415M-24 Jan 1911, A Fleming Nominal File] They were then offered by Alexander Fleming to the V&A in 1911 and purchased for £5 a piece or £40 in total. [RP 1911-517M, A Fleming Nominal File] Purchased from Alfred Fleming (Dealer), 53 Castle Road, Southsea, Portsmouth. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Museum records (Asia Department registers and/or Central Inventory) as part of a 2023 provenance research project. RP 1911- 415M |
| Bibliographic reference | Kalamkari Temple Hangings Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing, 2015 |
| Collection | |
| Accession number | IM.27-1911 |
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| Record created | June 25, 2009 |
| Record URL |
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