qalamkārī textile

▪ textile

      painted textile of a type produced during the 17th century at various centres in India, notably at Golconda. The material was called qalamkārī (“brushwork”) because of the technique employed in executing it and was chiefly made into prayer carpets, hangings, coverlets, and bedcovers.

      The textile designs reflect the Persianized tastes of the wealthy ruling class and also the taste of foreign traders seeking the fanciful and exotic. The designs of fabrics intended for export were based on samples supplied by European traders. A striking feature of the painted fabrics was their unusual glowing red colour. Golconda also produced some painted and tinseled temple hangings of great charm that illustrated episodes from the life of the god Krishna.

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