ticketsMember | Make a donation

Sarasa with Figures, Birds, and Fantastic Animals

late 17th–early 18th century
Not on view
This extremely rare sarasa—Indian painted cotton produced for the Japanese market—offers an Indian version of an Oriental fantasy. The unparalleled design includes whimsical figures and fanciful creatures in a lush forest. In each repeat, figures carry palanquins (covered litters) and hold umbrella canopies. The dark ground evokes late seventeenth-century Chinese lacquer screens. Its overtly Oriental flavor represents an Indian interpretation of chinoiserie, which itself developed from European reinterpretations of motifs found on decorative art objects imported from China.

cat. no. 33

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Sarasa with Figures, Birds, and Fantastic Animals
  • Date: late 17th–early 18th century
  • Culture: India (Coromandel Coast), for the Japanese market
  • Medium: Cotton (painted resist and mordant, dyed)
  • Dimensions: Overall: 27 1/2 x 13 3/4 in. (69.9 x 34.9 cm)
  • Classification: Textiles
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2010
  • Object Number: 2010.56
  • Curatorial Department: Asian Art

More Artwork

More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Palampore, Cotton (painted resist and mordant, dyed), India (Coromandel Coast), for the Sri Lankan market
Palampore
India (Coromandel Coast), for the Sri Lankan market
first quarter of the 18th century
King Tirumala Nayaka in Procession, Cotton, hand-painted mordant-dyed and resist-dyed (kalamkari), India
King Tirumala Nayaka in Procession
India
1640–50
Pichhwai for the Festival of Cows, Painted and printed gold and silver leaf and opaque watercolor on indigo-dyed cotton, India, Deccan, Aurangabad (?)
Pichhwai for the Festival of Cows
India, Deccan, Aurangabad (?)
late 18th century
Floral Decorated Textile, Cotton, mordant and resist dyed, India (Coromandel Coast)
Floral Decorated Textile
India (Coromandel Coast)
early 18th century
Long Cloth, Cotton (painted mordant, dyed), India (Coromandel Coast), for Indonesian market
Long Cloth
India (Coromandel Coast), for Indonesian market
ca. 1720s

Related Content

Perspectives

Articles, audio, and video from The Met's online magazine.

Publications

Books, guides, and catalogues published by The Met.

Research Resources

The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.

To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.

Feedback

We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please complete and submit this form. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.