1900s Persian Woodblock Printed Kalamkari / Palampore

Near East, Persia, Iran or Northwestern India, ca. early 1900s CE. A lovely cotton textile painted via a traditional type of woodblock printing known as kalamkari (also spelled qalamkari) or palampore in India. Patterns were sketched onto the fabric using a kalam pen filled with mordant (oxide dye), the textile was immersed in dye bath to color the areas where the mordant had been applied. This process was repeated with each color, and the most intricate details were meticulously painted onto the fabric by hand. Intricate paisley and floral motifs in red, blue, and highlighted with black on white ground. The warp threads are twisted into a fringe, and a tab of cloth along the center of both fringe edges is marked in black Arabic script (the same inscription on both tags)- likely the artisan's signature. Size: 94.5" L x 53" W (240 cm x 134.6 cm)

Provenance: private New Jersey, USA collection

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#151380
Condition Report: A few tiny tears to edges and some fraying to edge threads, but overall tightly woven and intact. Some staining and fading to surface, and bleeding to painted motifs from dying process.