Past Exhibitions

Petals and Plumage: A Collection of Indian Textiles

26 January–20 March 2005

Border fragment of a pichwai with lotuses and parrots (detail)

The history of textiles from India over the last two millennia has been closely linked with the history of global trade. Cottons, silks and Kashmir shawls were highly prized in Europe and America during the colonial period, and in earlier times cotton fabrics from India were objects of prestige in Southeast Asia and the countries around the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea. The mastery of Indian spinners, dyers and weavers over their materials was renowned and not attained elsewhere in the world until the advent of the industrial revolution and the concomitant invention of mechanical looms and chemical dyes.

Petals and Plumage, organized by the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, Cornell University, with guest curator Cynthia Cunningham Cort, a specialist in Indian textiles, celebrates the extraordinary aesthetic and technical diversity of Indian textiles and attests to India’s preeminence in textile production throughout history. The works are all drawn from an extraordinary private collection which simultaneously displays the rich variations within Indian traditions of ornamentation and speaks of textile utility within Indian cultural contexts. The ubiquity of flora and fauna in defining the vernacular of adornment in India is revealed in the vivacious petals and fanciful plumage that embellish and enliven the overall visual effect. Visitors will see examples of a broad range of production techniques, including painting, block printing, ikat, tie-dye, brocade, tapestry and embroidery, spanning 600 years of the history, graphic beauty and technical precision of
this remarkable tradition.

From early times, Indian brocades achieved worldwide fame. Romans wrote of them as cloth of gold. Indian looms produced yardage for garments that Muslim and Rajput rulers wore. At the beginning of the 17th century, when Europeans began to trade in the Spice Islands, Indian textiles were the commodities most in demand in these island cultures. Dutch, Portuguese and English traders purchased shiploads of fabric to trade for spices from Indonesia where they were used for clothing, ceremonial status, gift exchange and barter. At the same time painted and printed textiles began to be exported directly to Europe, though the market demanded different designs, materials and colors.

Early Indian textiles are rare. Climate, insect damage and usage patterns contributed to their rapid deterioration. In addition, worn cloth woven with gold or silver thread often was burned to reclaim the precious metals. This exhibition does, however, include rare examples from the 15th and 16th centuries, as well as trade textiles—some of which have only recently come to light. Their rich and varied cultural origins, together with their diverse and complex production techniques, accentuate the visual appeal of these exquisite fabrics.

“My husband and I are delighted that these ‘ambassadors’ for Indian art and culture are being used to educational advantage,” says Banoo Parpia of their collection. “Textiles, like other decorative arts, have been a stepchild in the art world for too long. The technical mastery and creative expression on display here offer an overall aesthetic impact that rivals the finest paintings and sculpture. That the museum recognizes this and is bringing the exhibition to the community is very gratifying.”

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