Gujerati export
c 1760

Strong colours. A collector's piece or for a designer to copy. I know it is slightly misleading to include this in this section, but I feel collector's of European export fabrics will find this of interest rather than those buying ethnic textiles. This type of embroidery was made for the European market for bedcovers and dresses. This piece has some linen ties on the reverse which indicate it might have been part of the skirt of a polonaise gown. They are very narrow and appear to be original 18th c. ALTHOUGH I feel the flowers are too large for dress fabric, being 3 in or 7.5 cm diameter. So perhaps it was original a bedcover and then altered for a dress. Your thoughts would be appreciated. Tambouring was introduced from India to Europe in the 1760's. In India this technique was worked with a small hook attached to a wooden handle called arirather than a needle. The fabric to be embroidered was stretched over a circular frame. The hook was pressed through the fabric, a loop drawn through creating a line of interlocking loops exactly like chain stitch, the stitches being finer and could be worked more quickly by professional embroiders. In Europe tambouring was worked with a needle which could not produce such fine results. For similar: Hart, Avril and North, Susan Historical Fashion in Detail p 162 . The design is on a smaller scale so I feel this piece was from a coverlet. In the 16 th & 17 th and 18th centuries silk chain embroidery on cotton made in Cambay, Patan and Surat in Gujarat were highly valued in Europe. They were based on designs and pattern books provided by the agents of European trading companies, the patterns being mainly floral, trees, birds and a variety of animals.

Cataloguing

embroidery from India, the linen ground worked with polychrome palette of flowers (3 in or 7 cm across) in clear bright shades of deep crimson, pink, yellow, orange, blue,seagreen and white silks worked with an ari hook, 27 x 15 in or 69 x 38 cm

Condition

You should be able to see the damage to this piece. I have not included the one really badly split side in my sizing. There are minor holes and some bigger ones all over but the colours are beautiful as is the design, so good as an example of a rare embroidery.

Price: £225 | $360 | €280

Ref N°: F199/d