Picture Details
Kalamkari block-printed cotton
Partner:
Victoria and Albert MuseumImage reference:
5443(IS)Origin:
Andhra Pradesh, IndiaArtist / Date:
Unknown, c. 1850Size:
1200 x 1200 mmDescription:
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Richly coloured printed and painted cotton textiles such as this were made in a variety of sizes, from bed covers to small coverlets. Pieces of this size would be used as multi-purpose coverlets and furnishings. Their format often recalls that of an Iranian carpet, with a central medallion and corner motifs.
The designs on this cotton cloth were achieved by a combination of printing with wooden blocks and hand-painting with a tool called a kalam (Persian for 'pen'), giving this type of textile the generic name of kalamkari ('pen work'). The blue would be the product of immersion in an indigo vat, while the red areas would first be treated with an alum mordant to make the red dye fast.
Kalamkari textiles were especially popular in Iran, where they were imported in vast quantities from the Masulipatam area of south-east India. Kalamkari workshops were also set up in Iran itself, notably in Isfahan, to satisfy the local market, and it is frequently very difficult to tell the products of the two centres apart.
