It's hard to imagine but India has produced high quality, colour fast textiles since the third millennium BC. The earliest textile find actually in India was at Mohenjo-daro on the Indus River. It shows that woven, madder dyed cotton was made all those years ago. The find is unusual because the Indian climate isn't good for the preservation of fabric. The only reason this piece survives is because it was wrapped around metal and it helped to preserve it.
The find shows an in depth understanding of the processes of colour fixing and a stone relief found on the same archaeological site shows figures draped with patterned cloth. On the same site spindles were found and bronze needles which indicates that woven cloth was stitched and embellished. Development of this nature puts Indian textiles millenia ahead of anything that was happening in Europe. (Gillow and Barnard, 2008)
Strangely, much of our information about the development of Indian textiles doesn't come from India but from Egypt where quantities of trade cloth were uncovered in the nineteenth century. Some of these textiles dated to the fifteenth century. There are seventh century BC references to an Indian textiles trade with Mesopotamia and there are old Hindu texts that talk in detail about textiles processes used in the manufacture of cotton, silk and linen.
By the sixth century BC Indian textiles were coveted by Mediterranean countries and the Indians got their silk from China. The Roman empire became concerned , as did later cultures, about the drain on the exchequer - the Indians had lots to export but it had to be traded in bullion because they weren't very interested in European goods. All this suggests a very worthwhile product that met the customers needs. Real business acumen.
As time went on particular patterns were developed for particular markets (V&A 2009)
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| Skirt or shoulder cloth for the Indonesian market (V&A 2009) |
The cloth above is from the Coronmandel coast and is block printed and dyed cotton . It is late eighteenth century and has a fairly typical Indonesian feel to it.
Compare it to this fabric also from the Coromandel coast and made in the 19th century for the Thai market. Very different.
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| Made for the Thai market (V&A 2009) |
Along with spices, textiles were a very important export for India.
For many years the Portuguese had a stranglehold on European trade with Asia but with the arrival of the Dutch that began to change. First the Dutch set up a base in Jakarta and developed a trade network that included India. It enabled them to barter locally and get the best possible deals all without the need to deplete the national reserves.
The British were late on the scene and made their base in India. The East India Company was establish and the rest as they say is history.
The impact of Indian textiles on Europe became even more evident when the likes of William Morris unashamedly developed designs based on Indian textiles and made them affordable to the masses. Indian Diaper, Snakeshead, Little Chitz and Pomegranate (now called Fruit) all show that Morris was conscious of Indian design. (Parry, 1983)
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| Diaper - block printed wallpaper, 1868-70 (V&A 2009) |
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| Fritillary block printed wallpaper 1885 (V&A 2009) |
Now that I've immersed my self in Indian textiles I can see lots of Morris designs that give more than a nod to that country.
Paisley is a pattern that Scotland claimed for its own but has its origins in India. It is a pattern that is now global and a glance at my windowsill shows me it's all over my tissue box.
Textiles and society
India is a huge country and until the Raj when trains became the transport mainstay of the country, communication between the regions was minimal. Geographical areas developed their own skills and methods of textile production and so gave India a textile richness that is unequalled in the world. Even today the various ethnic groups pride themselves on their individual approach to their textile work. Referring to a visit to a bazaar some years ago Gillow and Barnard tell us that they saw
communities and castes living side by side, at peace - and expressing their differences through colour and textiles.
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| Indian textile map gives an idea of the diversity of the Indian textile industry. business.mapsofindia.com |
Textiles have been and still are a social indicator in India. Colour has been used to show not just a personal preference but also to send all sorts of messages about social standing including age, marital status and community of origin. The hangover from India's historical caste system, whilst now outlawed, is still evident. http://handeyemagazine.com/content/colour-and-encoded-meaning
The use of colour seems to be fairly consistent throughout the sub continent and became associated with social bandings between 2000BC - 600BC.
White became the preferred colour of the highest caste because it symbolised purity and light and this carried through to the use of white as the colour of a wedding sari in some areas. Sounds familiar).
Throughout India men choose to wear off white and widows wear it unadorned with any other colour.
Red is seen as a lucky colour and so was chosen by those intending to go into battle. It is the colour of fertility and many Indian brides choose to wear red. A maroon shade with a gold border is traditional in Tamil Nadhu and red teamed with green (another colour of fertility) is chosen by Maharashtran brides.
Saffron yellow or orange is the colour of moderation and self discipline and was used to symbolise the withdrawal from family to lead a spiritual life. In some communities it is seen as a lucky colour and used in wedding celebrations.
In past times blue was the colour associated with the lowest caste and it was thought to be contaminated and unlucky.
The climate also plays a role in how colour is used. In hot, dry desert areas the colours tend to be vibrant whilst in high summer cooler colours might be selected.
And then of course there's always the exception to the rule.
http://handeyemagazine.com/content/colour-and-encoded-meaning
Gillow, J & Barnard, N 2008, Indian Textiles. Thames and Hudson, London
Parry, L. 1983, William Morris Textiles. Crescent Books, New York.
V&A, 2009, Indian Florals
V&A, 2009, William Morris
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