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Indian woven textiles had a high reputation. The designer Owen Jones praised a similar piece shown at the Great Exhibition for its balance of form and colour. He said it was 'beyond the power of a European hand to copy'. This particular piece was probably made for a later exhibition, in Paris in 1867. [27/03/2003]<b>Object Type</b><br>Although described as a saddle cloth, this piece was never made up for use but was exhibited as an example of fine weaving from Ahmedabad in present-day Gujarat. It is woven in silk and metal-wrapped thread, a combination that was given the hybrid Anglo-Indian name of 'kincob'.<br><br><b>Design & Designing</b><br>This saddle-cloth is practically identical to one acquired from the Great Exhibition of 1851. This and other Indian textiles exhibited there greatly impressed contemporary arbiters of taste not only by their craftsmanship but also by their designs. The flat, stylised floral patterns were seen as examples of 'perfect taste' and were contrasted with the over-elaborate, quasi-naturalistic designs that were currently in favour in Victorian Britain.<br><br><b>Materials & Making</b><br>This type of luxury fabric was usually used for canopies, furnishings and horse or elephant trappings as it was too stiff and heavy for garments. Gujarat in western India, especially the weaving centres of Ahmedabad and Surat, was well known for cloth of this type. Nevertheless, the best-known centre of production was (and remains) Varanasi, formerly Benares, in northern India.Textile