Picture Details
Dying and printing indigo cloth
Partner:
British LibraryImage reference:
BL.Add.Or.1714Origin:
Kashmir, IndiaArtist / Date:
Unknown, 1850-1860Size:
343 x 247 mmDescription:
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This painting is from a volume of 86 drawings detailing trades and occupations in Kashmir. By the mid-19th century Kashmir had been absorbed into the British Empire and the work was probably compiled especially for a British collector. It is inscribed in Persian but the drawings are arranged from front to back in the European manner. The inscriptions cover the names of the implements and equipment and sometimes a brief description of the trade. Here a printer/dyer is shown with fabrics and equipment. The wooden printing blocks are dipped in the dye by his apprentice sitting on the floor, while the master impresses the indigo-dyed cloth. The lower half of the image shows the previous stages where material is boiled in matkas or earthenware pots, and then hung to dry. The wooden printing blocks were usually made from woods light in weight, gurjun (Dipterocarpus turbinatus) or seasoned teak (Tectona grandis); the formerÿwears better when used as a block.
