|
"Gujarat Patola and cotton cloths"
|
|
paradise
08/25/10 03:05:03
Posts: 5
casual fan
|
Gujarat Patola and cotton cloths
|
|
Patolas are complex cloths requiring months to weave. With an intricate knowledge of dyeing, the Gujarati weavers managed to create some of the most extraordinary cloths through a process of ikat weaving which involved the acheter dofus kamas precise dyeing of both the weft and warp thread systems. These extraordinary cloths have maintained their value right into modern times and the techniques and processes associated with Patola weaving are secret to this day.
It should be noted that some of the more valuable cloths like he Patan Patolas, expensive and coveted even in India, that were brought to Indonesia for the purposes of trade were not of the highest quality weave, such as that sold in India. This fact clearly implies that the Patolas the traders brought to Indonesia were woven expressly for roll forming machine the overseas market, perhaps to fulfil explicit orders.
By the time the Dutch arrived in Indonesia, Patola textiles had become synonymous with status and spiritual power and hence authority. The right to own and wear Patola rested with the nobility, and being able to own or wear a Patola gave a family instant status.
The designs and lengths that were exported to Indonesia were very specific and do not occur in the corresponding Indian inventory. However, the designs clearly conform to Indian aesthetic parameters and depict commonplace Indian themes rather than Indonesian ones. Hence it is likely that Indian weavers created achat kamas specific styles and patterns exclusively for the Indonesian market, in turn establishing strict parameters for the exported Patola's spiritual language. Even a slight deviation from the established patterns meant that the cloths would not be accepted by Indonesian buyers.
The Patola's that made their way to Indonesia were decorated Animal motifs and geometrical patterns. The most common of the animal motifs were the tiger and elephant repeat patterns. The more exclusive patterns were the ones with the caparisoned elephants; the fewer the elephants and the less-repetitive the pattern the more valuable the cloth.
These cloths were used to barter for items of great value such as land rights. All the animal Patolas were display textiles, used in two plus kamas de dofus meter lengths as a backdrop for ost common ones are the eight point jasmine flower and a trellis flower pattern. The geometric Patolas have been found in longer lengths, and were used as turbans and waist sashes for nobility as depicted in royal paintings and aquatints by Dutch artists.
Another category of Patola was exported to Indonesia most probably at a much later time. These Patola cloths were stitched into trousers, sashes and head dresses for nobility. The patterns on these cloths are exactly similar to those found in Indian Patola and the high quality of weaving also suggests that these cloths were made for tiffany new york the Indian market and then converted into articles of royal clothing either in India or after shipment in Indonesia.
When the prices of Patola and the appetite for such cloths increased, cotton imitations, also made in India, began to appear on the market mostly for use as shoulder cloths by the laity.
Other cloths exported to Indonesia since the earliest times were the coarse cotton cloths from Cambay. The typical patterns were simple repeat patterns of tiffany new york store floral block-printe designs and cheap checked cloths that came to be commonly known as Cambay cloths. Therefore, it stands to reason that since similarly patterned cloths were being shipped to entirely different markets, the patterns must have originated in India. Many of the patterns hemselves can be traced to copies of stone screens and trellises, and hybrid Hindu-Moslem patterns that were perfected by the fourteenth century. Wpj
|
|
