COSTUMES
India: Andhra Pradesh, Krishna, Balyalagudem
Moslem
Headcloth (double rumal)
1956
Plain weave; Printed, hand blocked; Resist dyed, mordant resist; Resist dyed, batik; Painted
Cotton; Vegetable dye (indigo); Kalamkari printed cloth
2 yds. 12 in. x 1 yd. 9 in. (2.14 x 1.1 m)
Elizabeth Bayley Willis Collection, gift of Virginia and Prentice Bloedel
TC 58.1-554
Keywords: Animal motif (elephant); Floral motifs; Bordered square; Human figures

The row of elephants each with a mahout (driver) and European dressed riders demonstrate another intended market for these kalamkari. -- Label Copy for Courtyard, Bazaar, Temple: Traditions of Textile Expression in India, Bellevue Art Museum, June 12, 1982 to July 25, 1982.

This rumal is decorated with the kalamkari technique, the painting of cotton textiles by hand with a brush, or kalam. In the past the designs were painted entirely by hand; later on, as with this piece, came the addition of wood-block printing. The process is both laborious and exacting, often taking three or four weeks to complete a textile. Kalamkari textiles are some of the most popular textiles of India. -- Label copy for Unpacking the Collection: Collecting Other Cultures: The Elizabeth Bayley Willis Collection, April 10 to May 15, 1997, October 16, 1997, to March 2, 1998, and March 4 to June 7, 1998.