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Lot Essay
Palampores are large chintzes, which were laid on a bed or hung behind it. The word palampore is an Anglicisation of palang-posh or bedcover, which describes the principal use of these export cloths. The blossoming tree became one of the most popular designs for chintz textiles exported to Europe throughout the 18th century and into the 19th century. These exquisite painted textiles were first imported to countries such as England for use as bed and wall-hangings and quickly migrated to many other types of furnishings and clothing. The blossoming tree of the classic palampore is in fact a fascinating hybrid created for the delectation of the western market by European textile traders and would have born very little resemblance to the textiles produced for the indigenous Indian market. There is a clear influence of English Elizabethan and Jacobean crewel-work, which were in turn heavily indebted to the designs of late 16th and early 17th century Flemish verdure tapestries and these elements combined with the hybrid flowering tree led to the iconic palampore design. The tree and the rocky mound or landscape around it are a synthesis of Persian and Chinese elements.
Our palampore bears stamps that would have been applied to the panel at the top and bottom of each stack before it was loaded for shipping. The stamp is of near heart shape but unfortunately remains hard to read. It seems to bear the letters E, I and C which confirm that our chintz was noted and loaded onto a ship operating for the United East India Company. The shape of the stamp is hard to define. It might have been a diamond shape but applied very loosely by the cargo masters. However, the lack of a circle at the point of intersection of the lines dividing the three capital letters recalls the heart shaped stamp also found on a panel in the Victoria and Albert Museum (IS341-1898 ; www.vam.ac.uk), dated to the late 18th century. It is also worth noting that the stamp at the Victoria and Albert Museum does show a cipher in the form of the number 4 above the heart shape and a hilt below.
Two related palampores with confronted peacocks are in the Calico Museum, Ahmedabad and dated to the late 18th and mid-19th century (John Irvin and Margaret Hall, Indian Painted and Printed Fabrics, vol. I, London, 1971, pl.16 and pl.21). The 19th century palampore has similar borders with hanging garlands and is attributed to Ponneri, Madras state. It is also similar in composition to a flamboyant palampore in the Tapi Collection dated circa 1825-50 (Ruth Barnes, Steven Cohen, Rosemary Crill, Trade, Temple & Court, Indian Textiles from the Tapi Collection, Mumbai, 2002, cat.32, pp.78-79). Other palampores sold at Christie’s
Our palampore bears stamps that would have been applied to the panel at the top and bottom of each stack before it was loaded for shipping. The stamp is of near heart shape but unfortunately remains hard to read. It seems to bear the letters E, I and C which confirm that our chintz was noted and loaded onto a ship operating for the United East India Company. The shape of the stamp is hard to define. It might have been a diamond shape but applied very loosely by the cargo masters. However, the lack of a circle at the point of intersection of the lines dividing the three capital letters recalls the heart shaped stamp also found on a panel in the Victoria and Albert Museum (IS341-1898 ; www.vam.ac.uk), dated to the late 18th century. It is also worth noting that the stamp at the Victoria and Albert Museum does show a cipher in the form of the number 4 above the heart shape and a hilt below.
Two related palampores with confronted peacocks are in the Calico Museum, Ahmedabad and dated to the late 18th and mid-19th century (John Irvin and Margaret Hall, Indian Painted and Printed Fabrics, vol. I, London, 1971, pl.16 and pl.21). The 19th century palampore has similar borders with hanging garlands and is attributed to Ponneri, Madras state. It is also similar in composition to a flamboyant palampore in the Tapi Collection dated circa 1825-50 (Ruth Barnes, Steven Cohen, Rosemary Crill, Trade, Temple & Court, Indian Textiles from the Tapi Collection, Mumbai, 2002, cat.32, pp.78-79). Other palampores sold at Christie’s