late 18th century
India
Object qualities
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Objecttextile (towels, carpets, etc.): Bedcover or hanging
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Type of arts & crafts 1
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Type of arts & crafts 2
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MediumCotton; plain weave, mordant painted and dyed, resist dyed
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SizeTextile: H. 100 in. (254 cm) W. 55 in. (139.7 cm) Mount: H. 101 in. (256.5 cm) W. 48 1/2 in. (123.2 cm) D. 1 in. (2.5 cm) Wt. 79 lbs. (35.8 kg)
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Geography detailsAttributed to
India -
Country today
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Datelate 18th century
Source of information
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Type of sourceDatabase “Metropolitan Museum of Art”
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Fund that the source refers toMetropolitan Museum of Art
Description
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This type of dyed cloth, known as a palampore (from palangposh, the Hindi term for bedcover), was made in abundance in India for foreign markets in the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, and their decoration, often with a central tree laden with fruits and birds, combined patterns from English embroideries, Chinese decorative objects, and Indian textiles. In Europe, they were used as bedcovers and were also hung on the walls of bedrooms. In Southeast Asia, where this piece might have been traded, such textiles were displayed during religious ceremonies.