Unknown Maker, Indian

This canopy or wall-hanging shows a central
lotus flower medallion, surrounded by potted plants in four corners and a floral
swag border. The vibrant red patterning on this cotton textile is made by a
combination of painting with mordants – a magical “invisible ink” for textiles
– so when the fabric is dyed the areas with mordant solution allowed the color
to fix or bond with the fabric, and the color only appeared when the fabric a
washed. This technique worked especially well for block-printed motifs where
the carved wooden design could be dipped in the mordant solution and repeated
over large areas of a textile. In particular, this textile offers new insights
into the robust intra-Asian textile trade, in this case between India and
Sumatra.

Provenance: from the collection of
Richard Mellott, who purchased it in Japan. A closely related work is at
the Art Gallery of South Australia.