Not currently on display at the V&A

Printed Cotton

1800-1875 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

resist-dyed, block printed, plain weave, wool.
One selvedge and one edge with a twisted warp fringe below a line of fine chain stitch in pale silk. There are three main borders forming a right angle around a corner motif which has a white ground and two inward pointing, confronting botehs: one has a red centre with four floral motifs and a light blue border and the other has a light blue centre, four floral motifs and a red border. In between these two is a stylised cypress tree containing a red flower from which two stems branch; there are two red and light blue rose buds. The field of the central part of the shawl has a red ground with an offset small floral sprig in light blue.
The main border has a white ground with light blue serrated leaves forming a line of lozenges, each containing a red and purple flower head. There is a small four-petalled flower head at the junction of the lozenges. To either side of this border is a white ground border with a series of arches with red spandrels and a blue cypress tree forming the sides of the niches; there is a red flower within each niche. The outer border is a mirror image of the inner. A patch [19 cm long; 8 cm wide] has been sewn to the back at the lower left hand corner; it is the same pattern as the central field of the shawl plus part of a white border with a meandering stem and red flower heads.


Object details

Category
Object type
Materials and techniques
wool yarn, silk thread, weaving, resist dyeing, block printing, embroidering
Brief description
1800s, Persian
Physical description
resist-dyed, block printed, plain weave, wool.
One selvedge and one edge with a twisted warp fringe below a line of fine chain stitch in pale silk. There are three main borders forming a right angle around a corner motif which has a white ground and two inward pointing, confronting botehs: one has a red centre with four floral motifs and a light blue border and the other has a light blue centre, four floral motifs and a red border. In between these two is a stylised cypress tree containing a red flower from which two stems branch; there are two red and light blue rose buds. The field of the central part of the shawl has a red ground with an offset small floral sprig in light blue.
The main border has a white ground with light blue serrated leaves forming a line of lozenges, each containing a red and purple flower head. There is a small four-petalled flower head at the junction of the lozenges. To either side of this border is a white ground border with a series of arches with red spandrels and a blue cypress tree forming the sides of the niches; there is a red flower within each niche. The outer border is a mirror image of the inner. A patch [19 cm long; 8 cm wide] has been sewn to the back at the lower left hand corner; it is the same pattern as the central field of the shawl plus part of a white border with a meandering stem and red flower heads.
Dimensions
  • Excluding fringe length: 32cm
  • Width: 34.5cm
Object history
Donated to the V&A by Robert Murdoch Smith in 1883, together with a batch of sixty-four other printed cotton specimens from Isfahan, and four carpet fragments: "The [cottons] I got from the calico printers at Ispahan, most of them at least. I have a good many specimens of <i>old</i> printing."
Collection
Accession number
1065:48-1883

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Record createdMarch 5, 2008
Record URL
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