BED-COVER FOR PORTUGAL
This bed-cover was made in India for export to Portugal. The Portuguese were the first Europeans to settle in India, and embroideries like this were made near their base at Hugli in Bengal. It shows European ships and people, and in the centre is the coat-of-arms of a Portuguese noble family. The embroidery stitches draw on the local kantha tradition.
Cotton, quilted and embroidered with silk
Satgaon, West Bengal, 1600-25
V&A: 438-1882 [03/10/2015-10/01/2016]Embroidered with the coat of arms of the Portuguese family Lima da Villa Norvada Cerveira. It displays a blend of European motifs and subjects.White cotton coverlet embroidered with the coat of arms of the Portuguese family Lima da Villa Nova da Cerveira, India or Bangladesh, first quarter of the 17th century