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A10591 Palampore, a wall hanging or coverlet with 'tree of life' design, block printed, hand painted and mordant dyed cotton, made on the Coromandel Coast of India for the English market, ca 1810. Click to enlarge.
  • Image 1 of 3, A10591 Palampore, a wall hanging or coverlet with 'tree of life' design, block printed, hand painted and mordant dyed cotton, made on the Coromandel Coast of India for the English market, ca 1810. Click to enlarge
  • Image 2 of 3, A10591 Palampore, a wall hanging or coverlet with 'tree of life' design, block printed, hand painted and mordant dyed cotton, made on the Coromandel Coast of India for the English market, ca 1810. Click to enlarge
  • Image 3 of 3, A10591 Palampore, a wall hanging or coverlet with 'tree of life' design, block printed, hand painted and mordant dyed cotton, made on the Coromandel Coast of India for the English market, ca 1810. Click to enlarge

Palempore, India, ca 1810

Made
  • c 1810
This palampore, a cotton coverlet or hanging, was block printed, hand painted and mordant dyed on natural cotton on the Coromandel Coast of eastern India in about 1810. It is an expressive example of the many palampores produced in India for the European market, and reflects a mixing of traditional Indian and European styles.

The design features a large flowering 'tree of life' motif, a hybrid form of Persian and Chinese origin and characteristic of these textiles, while the floral garlands …

Summary

Object No.

A10591

Object Statement

Palampore, a wall hanging or coverlet with 'tree of life' design, block printed, hand painted and mordant dyed cotton, made on the Coromandel Coast of India for the English market, ca 1810

Physical Description

A palampore, block printed and hand painted cotton wall hanging or coverlet. The tree of life design, in scarlet and grey/blue with touches of pink and purple on the natural cream cotton ground, is framed by floral garlands and bows in Adam style within a plain scarlet border. Birds stand on either side of the trunk of the tree and perch on its branches. The cloth is lined with cream cotton lawn.

Short URL

https://ma.as/170274

Dimensions

Height

1820 mm

Width

1700 mm

Production

Made

  • c 1810

Notes

The design of the palampore reflects a mix of styles, both traditional Indian and European. The central flowering tree motif is of Asian origin and is characteristic of these Indian bed covers and hangings. The floral garlands and bows in the border reflect the European classical style of the late 1700s and early 1800s, when the cloth was made. The striking influence of the latter indicates a strong desire in the Indian makers to appeal to European tastes.

The cloth was block printed, hand painted and dyed on natural cotton on the Coromandel Coast of eastern India in about 1810.

History

Notes

Acquired for the collection by purchase in July 1984. Lent to the Australian National Maritime Museum, Sydney, in 2013 for display in their exhibition 'East of India - forgotten trade with Australia'.

Source

Credit Line

Purchased 1984

Acquisition Date

29 July 1984

Cite this Object

Harvard

Palempore, India, ca 1810 2023, Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, accessed 30 May 2023, <https://ma.as/170274>

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://ma.as/170274 |title=Palempore, India, ca 1810 |author=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences |access-date=30 May 2023 |publisher=Museum of Applied Arts & Sciences, Australia}}

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