HANGING
Cotton embroidered with silk thread
Gujarat, Western India
c. 1700
IS.155-1953
This panel was part of a set of chintz and embroidered bed- and wall-hangings formerly in Ashburnham House in Sussex. The embroideries copy the designs of the chintzes in simplified form. The intense colours of the silk embroidery thread were produced by repeated dyeing with indigo (blue) and the insect dye
lac for red. [27/9/2013]
GUJARATI EMBROIDERY
Gujaratis 'embroider the best of any people in India, and perhaps in the world', said one 18th-century English scholar. Gujarati embroidery was in huge demand in Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. Men from Gujarat embroidered this hanging in chainstitch, using both a hook (ari) and needle. The cloth has nail-holes along its edges, suggesting that it was attached to a bed or wall-panel.
Cotton, embroidered with silk
Gujarat, 1680-1700
V&A: IS.155-1953 [03/10/2015-10/01/2016]