Quilted bed-covers of chintz fabric (Indian painted and dyed cotton) were very popular export items for both the British and Dutch markets in the late 17th and 18th centuries, although they were later superseded by thinner cotton hangings and bed-covers. The large medallion motifs on this quilt suggest that it was probably intended for the Dutch market, as similar designs are known in other pieces from Dutch collections. The density and variety of the reds, blues and purples in this piece bear witness to the great skills of the Indian dyers who made it by a variety of time-consuming processes involving mordanting and resist-dyeing.