Exhibition of Historic Trade Textiles set to weave
charm over India's heritage enthusiasts

TAPI Collection & National Museum
present  Masters of the Cloth' - Indian Textiles Traded to Distant Shores

About TAPI

Textile historians cite the Tapi Collection brought together by Praful and Shilpa Shah as "an exceptional collection of Indian historical textiles and one of the finest private collections in India today". (Rosemary Grill, Ruth Barnes and Steven Cohen in their book "Trade, Temple & Court".) Numbering over 4000 textiles the collection is named after the eponymous river that is central to the town's history as a prosperous textile manufacturing and trading center. The Tapi Collection of Indian textiles not only includes textiles treasured and worn in India but examples of cloths exported from India to markets spanning the globe, from South-East Asia to Africa and Europe. The Collection encompasses a gamut of materials and motifs, from 14th century block printed cloths to painted cottons and embroideries, mughal patkas, brocades, tie-dyed textiles, pichhwais and temple hangings for religious use, cotton jamdanis and folk textiles.

New Delhi, November 10, 2005: 'Masters of the Cloth: Indian Textiles Traded to Distant Shores', an exhibition showcasing unique segments of textiles for foreign markets made in India from the 13th to the 20th centuries, opens at the National Museum on November 11, 2005. On display will be some rare "trade textiles" from the TAPI Collection brought together by Praful and Shilpa Shah. Inaugurated by Dr. Karan Singh, Hon'ble President, Indian Council of Cultural Relations, this exceptional exhibition, is open to public for five weeks from 11 November 2005 to 18 December 2005.

Shawl, 1800, Pashmina, TAPI 04.23	Ceremonial, Coromandel Coast: 19th century, traded to Java or Sumatra, TAPI 01.29

This first of its kind exhibition offers a rare opportunity to view Indian textiles the likes of which have not survived in their homeland but did so on foreign shores where they were carefully preserved for centuries. The textiles on view present an insight into the fascinating history of the extensive centuries-old trade in Indian textiles both with the east and west, and the multifarious roles they played in these lands, for social, ritualistic, ceremonial, decorative or utilitarian purposes.
As pointed out by Shilpa Shah, the exhibition showcases the world's romance with Indian textiles and attempts to present the significance, scale, popularity, beauty and variety of Indian textiles traded to foreign markets from earliest times.

Ceremonial Banner, Coromandel Coast: c. 1775, for the Sri Lankan Market, TAPI 03.130	Ceremonial Cloth, Coromandel Coast: Late 18th Century, traded to Indonesia, TAPI 01.183

Oldest among the textiles on view are 13th to 15th century painted and printed cottons from Gujarat including the enigmatic "maa'" cloths treasured as sacred heirlooms with magical powers in the culture of the Toraja people of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The kalamkari artists of the Coromandel Coast, in the 18th century, made exquisitely wrought pieces for the nobility in Thailand, with patterns of nagas and dragons. Silk patolas from Patan in Gujarat formed the single most highly prized textile in South East Asia, and those such as the "Elephant Patola" on show, found exclusive royal patronage.
Praful Shah feels delighted to have the opportunity to share aspects of India's past creativity in textiles that were, for him, a staggering eye opener. The exhibition will contribute to an understanding and appreciation of a unique dimension of the rich artistic heritage of India, which still has a strong and thriving textile producing culture, both traditional and modern.

Also on exhibit, are exceptional Chintz palampores and costumes developed for Western markets, patterns specifically commissioned for European taste. They were initially used as household furnishings and in the late 17th century, Chintz made its foray into high fashion, and was a must for aristocratic mansions of Holland, France, and Britain. The "Cambay Embroidered" palampores on display made in Gujarat are considered unrivalled in their workmanship, not only in India but possibly in the world, as also the famous Kashmir Shawls that became a craze in Europe.

Patolu Ceremonial, Cloth, Gujarat: c. 19th Century: Traded to Bali, Indonesia, TAPI 05.34

According to Dr. K.K. Chakravarty, the Director General, National Museum, the exhibition will provide for the first time fascinating insights into the realm of Indian textiles, through some textiles treasured by the royalty and courtiers as connoisseurs and patrons from various countries from South-East Asia to Europe. The exhibition will be a window into the diaspora and cross-fertilization of ideas and patterns across the world, a movement incited by nameless maestros of India. The exhibition may yet inspire initiative towards recollection and revitalization of forgotten designs, shapes and meanings.

Not to be missed are the small but important excavated fragments of block printed cotton found in the medieval market town of Fustat near present day Cairo, and kalamkaris made for the Persian market. Completing the canvas of trade cloths are woven striped and checked Madras cloths quizzically called "George" in Nigeria, probably from Fort St.George, the South Indian port from where they were exported to Africa. Pride of place in this group is reserved for the "Injiri" cloths of the Kalabaris in the Niger Delta of West Africa where they are valued as symbols of the cultural identity of a whole community.

Embroidered Palampore, Gujarat: c. 1730-40, for the western market TAPI 00.108	Embroidered Floorspread, Gujarat: 18thre century, for the western market, TAPI 04.42

Dr.R.R.S. Chauhan, Director, (Exhibitions), remarks that this collection comes from nowhere else but the richest port of Medieval India, Surat, from where hoards of goods, particularly textiles, were exported all over the world. While the credit for popularizing the Indian textiles goes to the Portuguese, the credit for producing these superb, much sought after textiles goes to the Indian artisan and craftsperson. National Museum, being the country's premier cultural institution, feels proud to present this wonderful exhibition of Indian textiles, fabricated and exported from various parts of India, and in the recent past, painstakingly located, identified, and passionately reclaimed by the connoisseur couple of the Shah's. The exhibition brings to life the saga of Indian textiles, whose history is as old as the history of our country itself.

Shawl, Kashmir: c. 1840-1860: traded to France, TAPI 97.1419

Associated with the Exhibition are events like screening of International Award winning films by Dev Benegal, - every Friday, a symposium on November 12, where eminent textiles scholars would present lectures, an on the spot painting competition for school children on November 20th, and a Workshop 'Tradition Textile Techniques' on November 30th, and December 1st.

For Further Information, please contact:

Director, Exhibitions,
Dr. R.R.S. Chauhan, National Museum
Exhibition Coordinator, TAPI, Sujata Parsai at the National Museum
Piyali Dasgupta, Perfect Relations,
Tel: 24374440