Temple Hanging with a Hindu Devotee
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.This Indian hanging is a masterwork of the art of kalamkari, a method of hand-painting dyes on fabric using a bamboo pen, or kalam. The artist’s skill is illustrated by the sensitivity of the painted line, the sophisticated integration of the figure into a foliate landscape, and the fine rendering of the worshipful sentiment of the Shiva devotee. Produced in one of the great cloth-painting centers of south India, this hanging was intended for export to Sri Lanka. The presence of a large Tamil Hindu community there generated a demand for imported Indian textiles such as this hanging, which would have been displayed during religious festivals.
Artwork Details
- Title: Temple Hanging with a Hindu Devotee
- Date: late 17th - first quarter of the 18th century
- Geography: Made in India
- Culture: India (Tamil Nadu), for the Sri Lankan market
- Medium: Cotton (painted mordant and iron, dyed)
- Dimensions: 42.9 x 61 in (108.9 x 154.9 cm)
- Credit Line: Collection of Karun Thakar, London
- Curatorial Department: The American Wing