In this article I analyse the iconographic programme of a large size embroidered textile dating f... more In this article I analyse the iconographic programme of a large size embroidered textile dating from the early 17th century from the Hugli region in Bengal. The textile is part of subgroup (c) of the Solomon group. India has an extremely rich textile tradition. Every region has its peculiarities and techniques. Quilts were made all over the Indian subcontinent throughout the ages. Worn out clothes were not thrown away but were instead reused: Several layers of cloth were laid upon each other and were sewn together to be used in Indian homes. Most of them were very simple but some pieces were painted, printed or embroidered. The group of large size textiles (about 100 pieces) that I analysed in my PhD thesis belong to the latter category and were mainly produced for the export market. In the earliest Portuguese records they were called “colchas.” The word colcha is Portuguese and has Latin roots: culcita means mattress or pillow, the modern Portuguese word colcha means quilt, which i...
This article focuses on two Ottoman silk flags and discusses not only their original contexts of ... more This article focuses on two Ottoman silk flags and discusses not only their original contexts of production but also traces their biographies until their reception as booty items and their further use after the Siege of Vienna in 1683. Banners and standards were symbolically charged signs used for military organisation. The higher the rank of a flag, the more coveted it was as booty. It was not so much their material value, which was in fact negligible, but rather their symbolic worth that made them so desirable. In their new context in the hands of the enemy they could be used for propaganda purposes, as indeed they were during and after the second siege of Vienna in 1683. This article investigates the trajectories of two flags captured at the siege and a year after its end and explores the intentions behind their use for propaganda purposes. It thus attempts to untangle the political rivalries, imperial vanities and cultural misunderstandings underlying their complex biographies.
In this article I analyse the iconographic programme of a large size embroidered textile dating f... more In this article I analyse the iconographic programme of a large size embroidered textile dating from the early 17th century from the Hugli region in Bengal. The textile is part of subgroup (c) of the Solomon group. India has an extremely rich textile tradition. Every region has its peculiarities and techniques. Quilts were made all over the Indian subcontinent throughout the ages. Worn out clothes were not thrown away but were instead reused: Several layers of cloth were laid upon each other and were sewn together to be used in Indian homes. Most of them were very simple but some pieces were painted, printed or embroidered. The group of large size textiles (about 100 pieces) that I analysed in my PhD thesis belong to the latter category and were mainly produced for the export market. In the earliest Portuguese records they were called “colchas.” The word colcha is Portuguese and has Latin roots: culcita means mattress or pillow, the modern Portuguese word colcha means quilt, which i...
This article focuses on two Ottoman silk flags and discusses not only their original contexts of ... more This article focuses on two Ottoman silk flags and discusses not only their original contexts of production but also traces their biographies until their reception as booty items and their further use after the Siege of Vienna in 1683. Banners and standards were symbolically charged signs used for military organisation. The higher the rank of a flag, the more coveted it was as booty. It was not so much their material value, which was in fact negligible, but rather their symbolic worth that made them so desirable. In their new context in the hands of the enemy they could be used for propaganda purposes, as indeed they were during and after the second siege of Vienna in 1683. This article investigates the trajectories of two flags captured at the siege and a year after its end and explores the intentions behind their use for propaganda purposes. It thus attempts to untangle the political rivalries, imperial vanities and cultural misunderstandings underlying their complex biographies.
Inventories are among the oldest documents to survive from ancient times. Textiles take an import... more Inventories are among the oldest documents to survive from ancient times. Textiles take an important place within them and inform – among other things – about value, context of use, material, fashion, trade or techniques. This is the more relavant since thextiles were then the most important trade goods after bullion and food. The articles of this volume focus on the time between the High Middle Ages and the Early Modern Period. They represent different approaches to this fascinating topic whose social framework includes popes, kings, merchants and farmers.
Early modern India was an economic core region producing manifold textiles for export. During the... more Early modern India was an economic core region producing manifold textiles for export. During the sixteenth century a new customer entered the stage and expanded its influence from the city of Goa – Portugal. From early times, the Portuguese had bought and commissioned textiles, among them large embroideries from Bengal and Gujarat, which are the focus of this study. By providing European prints as models for the professional local embroiderers they created a novel product that was successful in Portugal and beyond throughout the seventeenth century. The textiles were deemed valuable and rare enough to be included in different travel accounts, letters and inventories, enabling us to trace their place of production, their transportation to Europe and their reception. Their intricate iconographies reflect political problematics of the time and shed light onto the intercultural circumstances of Portuguese colonial life. Barbara Karl is Curator of Textiles and Carpets at the MAK – Museum für Angewandte Kunst/Gegenwartskunst in Vienna. WEITERE INFORMATIONEN UND DOWNLOADS FINDEN SIE UNTER WWW.BOEHLAU-VERLAG.COM. böhlau verlag ges.m.b.h. & co. kg, wiesingerstrasse 1, 1010 wien, österreich, t: + 43 1 330 24 27-0, f: + 43 1 330 24 32-77 [email protected], www.boehlau-verlag.com | wien köln weimar
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