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Indian chintz, c. 1700

Fragment of chintz, India, c. 1700. Fragment of chintz, India, c. 1700. Courtesy Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, acc. no. BK-1980-773-E.

The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam holds a piece of cloth, originally perhaps intended as a bed spread but later used as upholstery for a chair, which is in fact a beautiful piece of chintz (sits in Dutch), perhaps originating from India, dating to c. 1700. Made of cotton with silk thread (ari-) embroidery, it measures 56 x 51 cm. It is decorated with scrolls and floral motifs.

Chintzes are normally decorated with printed motifs; this embroidered example may have been embroidered in India for the European market, or been embroidered in Europe on the basis of Indian motifs or stitched over them.

Rijksmuseum Amsterdam online catalogue (retrieved 17 April 2017).

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Last modified on Thursday, 13 May 2021 18:17