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Ceremonial Banner thumbnail 2
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Ceremonial Banner

1340 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Gujarat (made)

Ceremonial banner, red, blue, black and white, floral pattern. Cotton, block-printed, mordant-dyed and resist dyed.

Object details

Categories
Textiles
Ceremonial Objects
Object type
Ceremonial banner
Materials and techniques
Printed cotton
Cotton
Block-Printed
Dyed
Resist
Brief description
Ceremonial banner. Gujarat, for the Indonesian market, found in Toraja area of central Sulawesi, radiocarbon-dated 1340+-40 years. Cotton, block-printed mordant-dyed, block-printed and resist-dyed.
Physical description
Ceremonial banner, red, blue, black and white, floral pattern. Cotton, block-printed, mordant-dyed and resist dyed.
Dimensions
  • Top edge width: 962mm
  • Bottom edge width: 954mm
  • Proper right length: 5033mm
  • Proper left length: 5114mm
  • Weighed on roller weight: 12.5kg
Gallery label
(03/10/2015-10/01/2016)
FLORAL HANGING

Preserved for centuries in a village clanhouse on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, this 600-year-old heirloom cloth testifies to India's long trading relationship with the region. The craftsman based the blockprinted trees on western Indian manuscript decoration. We do not know exactly how this textile was used, but its preservation as a sacred object ensured its survival.

Cotton, block-printed and dyed
Gujarat, carbon-dated to 1340-80
Purchased with the assistance of the Art Fund
V&A: 1S.96-1993
Credit line
Purchased with Art Fund support
Production
+-40 years
Subject depicted
Flowers
Bibliographic references
  • Guy, J. "Woven Cargoes. Indian Textiles in the East", London, 1998 p. 41, pl. 44 (detail) and pl. 137, pps. 104-5
  • Crill, Rosemary, Arts of Asia, vol. 45, no. 5, September - October 2015, "The Fabric of India" Exhibition, p.76, pl. 21.
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
IS.96-1993

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Record createdMarch 17, 2000
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O34078/ceremonial-banner-unknown/
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