China

• Silk with a design outlined in silver & painted
  18th century
  220 x 298 cms
  

A serpentine tree, and bamboo growing beside it, bearing stylised peonies, and fanciful flowers. The tree grows from a mound with trees in the background and other foliage in the foreground. The inner guard is composed of cornucopia and floral motifs. The border is of undulating tendrils with flowers, which emanate from a vase in each corner.  The outer guard reflects the inner guard.

This palampore is made up of three panels. The panels measure 74 cms (29 inches) selvage to selvage, which is the usual measurement for Chinese silks of this period.  The selvage is woven in yellow in the same type of weave as the palampore. A white lead ground has been used under most painted colours. The outline of the painting was drawn out in silver, which clearly places the textile in China, where this method was used on export silks of the 18th century.

Pigment or dye		Visual colour
White lead, or calcium	~	White
Malachite	~	Copper Green
Iron Oxide	~	Browns
Red lead/Madder	~	Reds
Indigo	~	Blues
Rattan Yellow, Garcinia	~	Yellow
Sepia	~	Brown/Black

Though the practice of East India Company officials sending samples of western chinoiserie designs for Chinese artisans to copy was common, it is most unusual to find a design of an Indian Chintz being sent to China as a prototype. The result is a melange of Indian, Chinese and European sensibilities.  

This textile was on loan to the British Library for a major exhibition on cross-cultural influences.