Kantha (Embroidered Quilt)

Currently not on view

Kantha (Embroidered Quilt)

Late 19th or early 20th century

Artist/maker unknown, Bengali

The maker of this kantha gloried in depicting modern life. In the upper right, a woman stands within a grand residence detailed with gas sconces and arched louvers. In the upper left, she or another woman sits surrounded by mostly aquatic creatures in a square representing a ghat (stepped riverbank platform). In the lower section appear two steam-driven vehicles-a train and a peacock-prowed pleasure boat (the latter usually propelled by oars). At bottom, an elaborate market scene includes a merchant who weighs a woman's purchases on a scale. In contrast to the usual sari draped over the head, the women here wear long-sleeved blouses, separate head-coverings, and long necklaces that resemble the outfits seen in the hill region of northern Bengal.

Currently not on view

Object Details

Title:

Kantha (Embroidered Quilt)

Date:

Late 19th or early 20th century

Artist:

Artist/maker unknown, Bengali

Medium:

Cotton plain weave with cotton embroidery in back, buttonhole, chain, darning, outline, split, running, staggered running, stem stitch shading, eye, and dot stitches

Dimensions:

64 1/2 x 41 3/4 inches (163.8 x 106 cm)

Classification:

Textiles

Credit Line:

The Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection, 2009

Accession Number:

2009-250-14

Geography:

Made in Undivided Bengal, Asia Possibly made in Bangladesh, Asia Possibly made in West Bengal, India, Asia

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Currently not on view