Palampore (bed covering)

early 19th century

This palampore (bed covering) is a chintz, a floral print fabric made of cotton or linen that is hand-drawn with a kalam (bamboo pen) using various techniques of mordants (to fix to a dye) and resists (to prevent the dye from reaching all the cloth). As a later production, this chintz employed both kalamkari (pen-work) and block printing. Many palampores depict a twiggy plant emerging from rocky mounds, a motif partially borrowed from Chinese porcelain designs. Uniquely, this rocky mound is highly stylized with a pomegranate and Cyprus tree arising from its peak. Due to its elaborate composition of peacocks, tigers, and other floral motifs, this palampore was likely intended for a wealthier client.

For centuries, chintz textiles were exported from the Coromandel Coast and were locally patronized by the Mughal and Deccan courts. After the arrival of Europeans in India, they dominated the market, exporting chintz across the globe.

Cotton with paint, dye, and gilt

50 1/4 in. (127.64 cm)

L.: 84 in.

Eugene Fuller Memorial Collection

39.64

Photo: Elizabeth Mann

Not currently on view

Resources

Exhibition HistoryPortland, Oregon, Portland Art Museum, Legacies Of The Spice Trade: 17th - 19th Century Indian and French Printed Cottons, Apr. 15 - June 15, 1986.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Mood Indigo: Textiles from Around the World, Apr. 9 - Oct. 9, 2016.

Seattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view July 16 - Dec. 5, 2021].

Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.

Learn more about Equity at SAM