Waist Sash thumbnail 1
Waist Sash thumbnail 2
+2
images
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at V&A South Kensington
South Asia Gallery, Room 41

Waist Sash

c.18th century (made)
Place of origin

Patka (waist sash) of white cotton, block-printed, mordant and resist-dyed. Narrow side borders and deep end borders. The borders are patterned with rows of closely set small pointed leaves in green-blue outlined in black. The main field is plain.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Materials and techniques
Cotton, block-printed, mordant and resist-dyed
Brief description
Patka (waist sash) of block-printed, mordant and resist-dyed cotton, Coromandel Coast (probably), 18th century; Textiles; Clothing; Accessories
Physical description
Patka (waist sash) of white cotton, block-printed, mordant and resist-dyed. Narrow side borders and deep end borders. The borders are patterned with rows of closely set small pointed leaves in green-blue outlined in black. The main field is plain.
Dimensions
  • Height: 541.5cm
  • Width: 72cm
  • Height: 213in
  • Width: 30in
Height of borders: 80 cm
Style
Marks and inscriptions
  • (Red stamp at centre of one end. Six undeciphered Tamil characters in a rectangle. Research indicates such stamps may have been used as an inventory marker identifying the textile as consigned to the East India Company factory at Machilipatnam. )
  • (Undeciphered hand-written inscription at one end. )
Gallery label
PATKAS Cotton, block-printed, mordant and resist-dyed Coromandel Coast 18th century Patkas, or waist sashes, ranged in style from opulent silk-and-gold brocades to plain cottons. Muslim rulers traditionally bestowed clothing, including patkas, on their courtiers. In order to fulfil this custom, vast supplies of garments were needed in a variety of qualities to suit different ranks. These two fine examples came from the textile stores of the Nizams of Hyderabad, and were possibly intended for use as gifts. IM.311-1921 & IS.101-1948, the latter bequeathed by Sir Michael Sadleir(01/08/2017)
Credit line
Bequeathed by Sir Michael Sadler
Object history
One of a group of similiar cotton patterned patkas (waist sashes), the majority of which once belonged to the textile stores of the Nizam of Hyderabad.
Bibliographic reference
Swallow, D., Stronge, S., Crill, R., Koezuka, T., editor and translator, "The Art of the Indian Courts. Miniature Painting and Decorative Arts", Victoria & Albert Museum and NHK Kinki Media Plan, 1993. p. 56, cat. no. 37
Collection
Accession number
IS.101-1948

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 createdDecember 23, 1999
Record URL
Download as: JSONIIIF Manifest