Palampore

Countless Indian textiles were imported into Europe during the late seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. Perhaps the most spectacular were the painted and dyed cotton bedcovers and hangings called palampores. This example represents the form at its best. The number of colors and the skillful rendering of intricate details demonstrate the exceptional talents of Indian cotton painters. The overall design concept seems to have developed partly as a response to specific instructions from English clients. As early as 1643, they requested white backgrounds and compositions with central flowering branches and trees. Accordingly, these objects document the cross-cultural amalgamation of European tastes and Indian artistic styles engendered by global trade.