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Textile

ca. 1850 (made)
Artist/Maker
Unknown
Place of origin
Ahmedabad (made)

Figured silks densely woven with metal-wrapped thread, sometimes referred to as 'kamkhwab', were a specialty of Ahmedabad along with other important centres such as Benares. This length was selected for display at the Great Exhibition of 1851. One of the aims of the Exhibition was to educate visitors in the principles of good design. Textiles from India were especially appreciated for not only the quality of their technique but also for the composition of their design. Following the close of the exhibition, the South Kensington Museum purchased a number of Indian textiles for their collection, of which this length was one.


Object details

Categories
Textiles
Great Exhibition
Object type
Textile
Materials and techniques
Woven silk and metal-wrapped thread
Silk (Textile)
Metal-Wrapped Thread
Woven
Brief description
Silk with metal-wrapped thread, Ahmedabad, ca. 1850
Physical description
Length of dark purple silk twill-woven with supplementary wefts of silk, silver and silver gilt-wrapped thread. The field features a trellis (jal) pattern of peacock pairs, while the borders are filled with a creeping floral pattern.
Dimensions
  • Length: 151cm
  • Width: 85cm
Object history
Exhibited at Great Exhibition of 1851.
Association
Great Exhibition
Summary
Figured silks densely woven with metal-wrapped thread, sometimes referred to as 'kamkhwab', were a specialty of Ahmedabad along with other important centres such as Benares. This length was selected for display at the Great Exhibition of 1851. One of the aims of the Exhibition was to educate visitors in the principles of good design. Textiles from India were especially appreciated for not only the quality of their technique but also for the composition of their design. Following the close of the exhibition, the South Kensington Museum purchased a number of Indian textiles for their collection, of which this length was one.
Bibliographic references
  • The art of India and Pakistan, a commemorative catalogue of the exhibition held at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1947-8. Edited by Sir Leigh Ashton. London: Faber and Faber, [1950] p. 219, cat. no. 1056
  • Bryant, Julius and Weber, Susan; John Lockwood Kipling: Arts and Crafts in the Punjab and London Newhaven: Yale University Press, 2017 p. 6, fig. 1.8, cat. 11
Collection
South & South East Asia Collection
Accession number
784-1852

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Record createdJune 25, 2009
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O454035/textile-unknown/
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