Textiles collection
The flowers and foliage that decorated meisen kimono, were manipulated and modernised to provide a contemporary visual statement.
Apron with mix of natural and synthetic dyes, Gyantse, Tibet
20th century
This town was once located on a major trade route between India and Tibet. Many good quality textiles of this era contain synthetic colours, a luxury commodity when first imported by traders at the end of the 19th century. Originally they were used sparingly as highlights, but even Tibetan natural dye enthusiast tend to ‘augment’ natural colours, brightening them with synthetic materials – a deeply ingrained habit.
72 cm x 48 cm (2’4” x1’7”)
Apron with mix of natural and synthetic dyes, detail, Gyantse, Tibet
20th century
This town was once located on a major trade route between India and Tibet. Many good quality textiles of this era contain synthetic colours, a luxury commodity when first imported by traders at the end of the 19th century. Originally they were used sparingly as highlights, but even Tibetan natural dye enthusiast tend to ‘augment’ natural colours, brightening them with synthetic materials – a deeply ingrained habit.
72 cm x 48 cm (2’4” x1’7”)
Apron with natural dyes, Nyalam, Tibet
20th century
Green shades were traditionally achieved by overdye-ing indigo with a yellow shade (often ground rhubarb root). This technique produced variable results and the yellow component tends to fade over time. Synthetic greens are brighter and flatter in tone. Similarly, brown wool over-dyed wit indigo produces a glossy dark brown rather than a true uniform black. The white stripes are typical of aprons from the Nyalam, area.
71 cm x 66 c, (2’4” x 2’2”)
Apron with natural dyes, detail, Nyalam, Tibet
20th century
Green shades were traditionally achieved by overdye-ing indigo with a yellow shade (often ground rhubarb root). This technique produced variable results and the yellow component tends to fade over time. Synthetic greens are brighter and flatter in tone. Similarly, brown wool over-dyed wit indigo produces a glossy dark brown rather than a true uniform black. The white stripes are typical of aprons from the Nyalam, area.
71 cm x 66 c, (2’4” x 2’2”)
Apron with natural dyes, Shigatse, Tibet
19th century
Tibetan trestle looms and backstrap looms by nomads are capable of producing lengths of fabric with a maximum width of around 30 centimetres. Most Tibetan textiles are therefore made up of strips sewn together. The number of panels used in an apron is dictated by the size required. A young girl’s apron might only use two and a half panels. No attempt is made to align the stripes.
87 cm x 77 cm (2’10” x 2’6”)
Apron with natural dyes, detail, Shigatse, Tibet
19th century
Tibetan trestle looms and backstrap looms by nomads are capable of producing lengths of fabric with a maximum width of around 30 centimetres. Most Tibetan textiles are therefore made up of strips sewn together. The number of panels used in an apron is dictated by the size required. A young girl’s apron might only use two and a half panels. No attempt is made to align the stripes.
87 cm x 77 cm (2’10” x 2’6”)
Apron with natural dyes, southern Tibet
20th century, 69 cm x 58 cm (2’3″ x 1’11)
Apron with natural dyes, detail, southern Tibet
20th century, 69 cm x 58 cm (2’3″ x 1’11)
Winter chuba (coat), western Tibet
20th century, 143 cm x 147 cm (4’8″ x 4’10”)
Winter chuba (coat), detail, western Tibet
20th century, 143 cm x 147 cm (4’8″ x 4’10”)
Circa 1450-1650
Made in Gujarat for the Indonesian market, found in Sulawesi, Indonesia
3.60 x 1.02m (11’8” x 3’4”)
Block-printed using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
On loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2004-2010
Circa 1450-1650
Made in Gujarat for the Indonesian market, found in Sulawesi, Indonesia
3.60 x 1.02m (11’8” x 3’4”)
Block-printed using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
On loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2004-2010
Uncut cloth with three different designs
17th century, Gujarat, found in Sulawesi, Indonesia
4.32 x 0.80m (14’2” x 2’8”)
Block-printed using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
On loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2004-2010
Uncut cloth with three different designs, detail 1
17th century, Gujarat, found in Sulawesi, Indonesia
4.32 x 0.80m (14’2” x 2’8”)
Block-printed using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
On loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2004-2010
Uncut cloth with three different designs, detail 2
17th century, Gujarat, found in Sulawesi, Indonesia
4.32 x 0.80m (14’2” x 2’8”)
Block-printed using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
On loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2004-2010
Uncut cloth with three different designs, detail 3
17th century, Gujarat, found in Sulawesi, Indonesia
4.32 x 0.80m (14’2” x 2’8”)
Block-printed using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
On loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2004-2010
17th century
Made in Gujarat for the Indonesian market
2.80 x 1.02m (9’2” x 3’6”)
Block printed using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
17th century
Made in Gujarat for the Indonesian market
2.80 x 1.02m (9’2” x 3’6”)
Block printed using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
18th or 19th century, Coromandel Coast, found in Sulawesi, Indonesia
2.70 x 2.04m (8’10’ x 6’8”)
Chintz, hand drawn centre with printed outer decoration using dyes and mordants on cotton cloth
On loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2004-2010
‘Mata Hari’, Ceremonial Cloth, detail
18th or 19th century, Coromandel Coast, found in Sulawesi, Indonesia
2.70 x 2.04m (8’10’ x 6’8”)
Chintz, hand drawn centre with printed outer decoration using dyes and mordants on cotton cloth
On loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2004-2010
Chintz Fragment with Grotesques in an Imaginary Landscape
Late 17th-early 18th century
Coromandel Cost for the Japanese market, reportedly found in Japan
0.38 x 0.18m (1’3” x 0’7”)
Chintz, hand drawn using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
Chintz Fragment with Grotesques in an Imaginary Landscape, detail
Late 17th-early 18th century
Coromandel Cost for the Japanese market, reportedly found in Japan
0.38 x 0.18m (1’3” x 0’7”)
Chintz, hand drawn using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
‘The Herb Picker’ Ceremonial Cloth
Circa 17th Century
Coromandel Coast, reportedly found in Sri Lanka
1.55 x 1.09m (5’1” x 3’9”)
Chintz, hand drawn using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
On loan to the Victoria and albert Museum, London, 2004-2010
Exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2013-2014
Published HALI 172, 2012, pp.78-81; Interwoven Globe: The Worldwide Textile Trade, 1500-1800, 2013, pp.215-216
‘The Herb Picker’ Ceremonial Cloth, detail
Circa 17th Century
Coromandel Coast, reportedly found in Sri Lanka
1.55 x 1.09m (5’1” x 3’9”)
Chintz, hand drawn using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
On loan to the Victoria and albert Museum, London, 2004-2010
Exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 2013-2014
Published HALI 172, 2012, pp.78-81; Interwoven Globe: The Worldwide Textile Trade, 1500-1800, 2013, pp.215-216
18th century
Coromandel Coast, reportedly found in Sri Lanka
0.97 x 0.90m (3’2” x 3’0”)
Chintz, hand drawn using dyes, mordants and resists on the cotton cloth, unrestored
On loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2004-2010
Published in HALI 168, 2011, pp.80-89
‘Fortune Teller’ Fragment, detail
18th century
Coromandel Coast, reportedly found in Sri Lanka
0.97 x 0.90m (3’2” x 3’0”)
Chintz, hand drawn using dyes, mordants and resists on the cotton cloth, unrestored
On loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2004-2010
Published in HALI 168, 2011, pp.80-89
Late 18th-19th century
Coromandel Coast, reportedly found in Sri Lanka
1.30 x 1.18m (4’3” x 3’10”)
Chintz, hand drawn using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth, unrestored
Late 18th-19th century
Coromandel Coast, reportedly found in Sri Lanka
1.30 x 1.18m (4’3” x 3’10”)
Chintz, hand drawn using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth, unrestored
Circa 1700-25
Coromandel Coast, reportedly found in Sri Lanka
1.86 x 1.11m (6’1” x 3’6”)
Chintz, hand drawn using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
On loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum 2004-2010
Published by HALI 168, 2011, pp.80-89
Palampore, Decorative Hanging, detail
Circa 1700-25
Coromandel Coast, reportedly found in Sri Lanka
1.86 x 1.11m (6’1” x 3’6”)
Chintz, hand drawn using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
On loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum 2004-2010
Published by HALI 168, 2011, pp.80-89
Floral Patterned Sarong on a pale yellow-tan ground with wavy ‘Tumpal’ ends
First half of the 18th Century
Coromandel Coast, found in Sulawesi, Indonesia
3.78 x 1.20m (12’5” x 3’1”)
Chintz, hand drawn using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
On loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2004-2010
Floral Patterned Sarong on a pale yellow-tan ground with wavy ‘Tumpal’ ends, detail
First half of the 18th Century
Coromandel Coast, found in Sulawesi, Indonesia
3.78 x 1.20m (12’5” x 3’1”)
Chintz, hand drawn using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
On loan to the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 2004-2010
Chintz Somana Tuppotiya with slate-blue floral ‘Racemes’
Late 18th century- early 19th century
Coromandel Coast, reportedly found in Sri Lanka
3.53 x 1.04m (11’7” x 3’5”)
Chintz, hand drawn using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
Chintz Somana Tuppotiya with slate-blue floral ‘Racemes’, detail
Late 18th century- early 19th century
Coromandel Coast, reportedly found in Sri Lanka
3.53 x 1.04m (11’7” x 3’5”)
Chintz, hand drawn using dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
Somana Tuppotiya with Tumpal ends and floral banded centre
19th century
Coromandel Coast, reportedly found in Sri Lanka
3.23 x 1.12m (10’7” x 3’8”)
Chintz, hand drawn dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
Three Children’s Costumes, costume 1
18th century
Coromandel Coast, constructed later.
- Red-ground chintz, cotton bib with initials and lace work
- Red-ground chintz
- White-ground chintz
Chintz, hand drawn dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
Three Children’s Costumes, costume 1 detail
18th century
Coromandel Coast, constructed later.
- Red-ground chintz, cotton bib with initials and lace work
- Red-ground chintz
- White-ground chintz
Chintz, hand drawn dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
Three Children’s Costumes, costume 2
18th century
Coromandel Coast, constructed later.
- Red-ground chintz, cotton bib with initials and lace work
- Red-ground chintz
- White-ground chintz
Chintz, hand drawn dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
Three Children’s Costumes, costume 2 detail
18th century
Coromandel Coast, constructed later.
- Red-ground chintz, cotton bib with initials and lace work
- Red-ground chintz
- White-ground chintz
Chintz, hand drawn dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
Three Children’s Costumes, costume 3
18th century
Coromandel Coast, constructed later.
- Red-ground chintz, cotton bib with initials and lace work
- Red-ground chintz
- White-ground chintz
Chintz, hand drawn dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
Three Children’s Costumes, costume 3 detail
18th century
Coromandel Coast, constructed later.
- Red-ground chintz, cotton bib with initials and lace work
- Red-ground chintz
- White-ground chintz
Chintz, hand drawn dyes, mordants and resists on cotton cloth
19th century
Northern Europe (?), reportedly found in Sri Lanka
0.91 x 0.76m (3’0” x 2’6”)
Block-printed or roller printed on cotton cloth
19th century
Northern Europe (?), reportedly found in Sri Lanka
0.91 x 0.76m (3’0” x 2’6”)
Block-printed or roller printed on cotton cloth
This is not a chintz; rather it has been block-printed and was most likely produced in one of countless factories operating in Holland, Belgium or possibly even Russia during the second half of the 19th century, attempting to compete with an entire range of traditional Indian textile exports.
Abstract Meisen Kimono, detail
Instead of the traditional pictorial symbols, many meisen employed abstract and geometric designs to echo the spirit of the age.
Abstract Meisen Kimono, detail
Instead of the traditional pictorial symbols, many meisen employed abstract and geometric designs to echo the spirit of the age.
Instead of the traditional pictorial symbols, many meisen employed abstract and geometric designs to echo the spirit of the age.
Abstract Meisen Kimono, detail
Instead of the traditional pictorial symbols, many meisen employed abstract and geometric designs to echo the spirit of the age.
Abstract Meisen Kimono, detail
Instead of the traditional pictorial symbols, many meisen employed abstract and geometric designs to echo the spirit of the age.
Instead of the traditional pictorial symbols, many meisen employed abstract and geometric designs to echo the spirit of the age.
Abstract Meisen Kimono, detail
Instead of the traditional pictorial symbols, many meisen employed abstract and geometric designs to echo the spirit of the age.
Abstract Meisen Kimono, detail
Instead of the traditional pictorial symbols, many meisen employed abstract and geometric designs to echo the spirit of the age.
The techniques of meisen meant that painterly effects, such as brushstrokes, could be created on the cloth in a way not previously possible with stencils.
Painterly Meisen Kimono, detail
The techniques of meisen meant that painterly effects, such as brushstrokes, could be created on the cloth in a way not previously possible with stencils.
Painterly Meisen Kimono, detail
The techniques of meisen meant that painterly effects, such as brushstrokes, could be created on the cloth in a way not previously possible with stencils.
The techniques of meisen meant that painterly effects, such as brushstrokes, could be created on the cloth in a way not previously possible with stencils.
Painterly Meisen Kimono, detail
The techniques of meisen meant that painterly effects, such as brushstrokes, could be created on the cloth in a way not previously possible with stencils.
The techniques of meisen meant that painterly effects, such as brushstrokes, could be created on the cloth in a way not previously possible with stencils.
Painterly Meisen Kimono, detail
The techniques of meisen meant that painterly effects, such as brushstrokes, could be created on the cloth in a way not previously possible with stencils.
Painterly Meisen Kimono, detail
The techniques of meisen meant that painterly effects, such as brushstrokes, could be created on the cloth in a way not previously possible with stencils.
In the meisen examples the ribbons take on many forms, but in all cases they dominate the entire design.
In the meisen examples the ribbons take on many forms, but in all cases they dominate the entire design.
In the meisen examples the ribbons take on many forms, but in all cases they dominate the entire design.
In the meisen examples the ribbons take on many forms, but in all cases they dominate the entire design.
In the meisen examples the ribbons take on many forms, but in all cases they dominate the entire design.
In the meisen examples the ribbons take on many forms, but in all cases they dominate the entire design.
In the meisen examples the ribbons take on many forms, but in all cases they dominate the entire design.
Traditional Meisen Kimono, detail
The new meisen kimono did not just draw their designs from contemporary sources. Much of the imagery was taken from traditional Japanese art and designs that had been used on kimono for centuries.
Traditional Meisen Kimono, detail
The new meisen kimono did not just draw their designs from contemporary sources. Much of the imagery was taken from traditional Japanese art and designs that had been used on kimono for centuries.
The new meisen kimono did not just draw their designs from contemporary sources. Much of the imagery was taken from traditional Japanese art and designs that had been used on kimono for centuries.
Traditional Meisen Kimono, detail
The new meisen kimono did not just draw their designs from contemporary sources. Much of the imagery was taken from traditional Japanese art and designs that had been used on kimono for centuries.
Traditional Meisen Kimono, detail
The new meisen kimono did not just draw their designs from contemporary sources. Much of the imagery was taken from traditional Japanese art and designs that had been used on kimono for centuries.
The new meisen kimono did not just draw their designs from contemporary sources. Much of the imagery was taken from traditional Japanese art and designs that had been used on kimono for centuries.
Traditional Meisen Kimono, detail
The new meisen kimono did not just draw their designs from contemporary sources. Much of the imagery was taken from traditional Japanese art and designs that had been used on kimono for centuries.
Traditional Meisen Kimono, detail
The new meisen kimono did not just draw their designs from contemporary sources. Much of the imagery was taken from traditional Japanese art and designs that had been used on kimono for centuries.
The flowers and foliage that decorated meisen kimono, were manipulated and modernised to provide a contemporary visual statement.
The flowers and foliage that decorated meisen kimono, were manipulated and modernised to provide a contemporary visual statement.
The flowers and foliage that decorated meisen kimono, were manipulated and modernised to provide a contemporary visual statement.
The flowers and foliage that decorated meisen kimono, were manipulated and modernised to provide a contemporary visual statement.
The flowers and foliage that decorated meisen kimono, were manipulated and modernised to provide a contemporary visual statement.
The flowers and foliage that decorated meisen kimono, were manipulated and modernised to provide a contemporary visual statement.
The flowers and foliage that decorated meisen kimono, were manipulated and modernised to provide a contemporary visual statement.
The flowers and foliage that decorated meisen kimono, were manipulated and modernised to provide a contemporary visual statement.
The flowers and foliage that decorated meisen kimono, were manipulated and modernised to provide a contemporary visual statement.
The flowers and foliage that decorated meisen kimono, were manipulated and modernised to provide a contemporary visual statement.
The flowers and foliage that decorated meisen kimono, were manipulated and modernised to provide a contemporary visual statement.
Instead of the traditional pictorial symbols, many meisen employed abstract and geometric designs to echo the spirit of the age.
The techniques of meisen meant that painterly effects, such as brushstrokes, could be created on the cloth in a way not previously possible with stencils.
Instead of the traditional pictorial symbols, many meisen employed abstract and geometric designs to echo the spirit of the age.
Instead of the traditional pictorial symbols, many meisen employed abstract and geometric designs to echo the spirit of the age.
The techniques of meisen meant that painterly effects, such as brushstrokes, could be created on the cloth in a way not previously possible with stencils.
The techniques of meisen meant that painterly effects, such as brushstrokes, could be created on the cloth in a way not previously possible with stencils.
In the meisen examples the ribbons take on many forms, but in all cases they dominate the entire design rather than forming a minor part.
In the meisen examples the ribbons take on many forms, but in all cases they dominate the entire design rather than forming a minor part.
In the meisen examples the ribbons take on many forms, but in all cases they dominate the entire design rather than forming a minor part.
Traditional subject matter, patterns and symbols were adapted to fit the new art form, on which they appeared in new formats.
Traditional subject matter, patterns and symbols were adapted to fit the new art form, on which they appeared in new formats.
Traditional subject matter, patterns and symbols were adapted to fit the new art form, on which they appeared in new formats.