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Unknown Maker, Indian

Mat (kalamkari)

Maker

Unknown Maker, Indian

Culture

Indian

Title

Mat (kalamkari)

Year

late 1700s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

cotton

Geography

Place Made: India; Place Made: Coromandel Coast

Dimensions

Length: 135.3 cm (53 1/4 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Miss Lucy T. Aldrich

Object Number

37.006

Type

Exhibition History

“Insnared with flowers, I fall on grass"
Jun 10, 2014 – Mar 08, 2015

Label copy

Reminiscent of a Persian carpet design, this cotton mat is organized around an ornate central medallion, corner segments, and framing borders. This formal arrangement is offset by playful creatures-monkeys and birds-inhabiting the swirling foliage of exotic flowers. Highly skilled artisans working in several stages produced this kalamkari chintz, or cotton cloth painted and printed in many colors using a brush (kalam), patterned woodblock stamps, and mordant dyes. For centuries, Indian artisans held the secret to printing fine cotton fabric with colorfast dyes and enjoyed a monopoly on the export of such designs, produced according to the tastes of clientele spanning the globe

Indian Textiles from the RISD Collection
Nov 01, 1985 – Feb 16, 1985

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Indian
Mat (kalamkari), late 1700s
Cotton plain weave, block printed and hand painted
Length: 135.3 cm (53 1/4 inches)
Gift of Miss Lucy T. Aldrich 37.006

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