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Bed Cover or Wall Hanging

17th century
Not on view
Foreign travelers from as early as Marco Polo knew of the quality of the embroidery produced in Gujarat, a state on India’s northwestern coast, and as soon as European trade with India picked up in the early 1600s, embroidered Gujarati textiles were identified as among the most lucrative goods for export. This fragment from a hanging is one of the earliest examples of this overseas commerce, and comes from the Ashburnham House in Sussex, England. Embroideries like this were probably made at different centers throughout Gujarat, but are usually associated with Cambay, the port from which they were exported.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Bed Cover or Wall Hanging
  • Date: 17th century
  • Geography: Attributed to India, Gujarat
  • Medium: Cotton, silk; plain weave, embroidered, originally quilted
  • Dimensions: Textile: L. 76 1/2 in. (194.3 cm)
    W. 45 in. (114.3 cm)
    Mount: L. 84 5/8 in. (214.9 cm)
    W. 53 7/8 in. (136.8 cm)
    D. 2 3/4 in. (7 cm)
    Wt. 76 lbs. (34.5 kg)
  • Classification: Textiles-Embroidered
  • Credit Line: Gift of Victoria and Albert Museum, 1954
  • Object Number: 54.21
  • Curatorial Department: Islamic Art

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Floral Tent Panel, Silk, gold; cut velvet, painted
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ca. 1635
Fragment of a Floorspread, Cotton; plain weave, mordant-painted and dyed, resist-dyed
Fragment of a Floorspread
late 17th century
Textile Fragment, Cotton; plain weave, mordant-painted and dyed, resist-dyed
Textile Fragment
late 17th century
Panel of a Tent Lining, Cotton; plain weave, mordant painted and dyed, resist dyed
Panel of a Tent Lining
1700–1740
Panel from a Tent Lining (Qanat), Cotton; plain weave, mordant dyed and painted, resist-dyed
Panel from a Tent Lining (Qanat)
17th century

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