Untitled

Unknown

late 14th–early 15th century · Cotton, painted resist and block-printed mordant, dyed · Asian Art

One of the finest surviving examples of its type, this spectacular full-length cloth is composed of a series of stylized but still identifiable interlocking trees that form a densely forested landscape. A number of Indonesian communities prized these textiles, including the Toraja of central highland Sulawesi, who refer to them as Maa’, or cloths of the ancestors. The late fourteenth- to early fifteenth-century date of this piece demonstrates that the trade in Gujarati-painted and printed cotton goods to Indonesian markets was well established long before the Portuguese arrived in India. cat. no. 3b

Artist

Unknown

Date

late 14th–early 15th century

Medium

Cotton, painted resist and block-printed mordant, dyed

Culture

India (Gujarat), for the Indonesian market

Department

Asian Art

Credit line

Purchase, Friends of Asian Art Gifts, 2005