Textiles and Ornaments of India
A Selection of Designs

Edited, with a foreword by Monroe Wheeler
Texts by Pupul Jayakar
and John Irwin

Front Cover:

This book contains a veritable treasure trove about Indian textiles. The book was published in 1956 by The Museum of Modern Art, New York. The book measures 8 ¾ inches by 9 ¾ inches and contains 95 pages. This is a former library copy and has the requisite markings. The cover consists of paper covered hard boards. The cover shows signs of soiling and wear. The paper covering is chipped in places. The spine is tight and the hinges are strong. The pages are printed on good quality, glossy paper and show no signs of rips. Exceptions noted, the overall condition of this book is good plus.


Spine


Title Page


Title Page – Verso


Frontispiece – Detail of silk-embroidered quilted cotton Kantha
East Bengal, mid-19th Century

Excerpt - Foreword:
This publication-a picture book with interpretive essays-is based on an exhibition held at the Museum of Modern Art in the spring and summer of 1955.

Twenty-five years ago, to one visitor at least, the great sub-continent of India appeared to be mysteriously somnolent and indifferent to its ancient arts and architecture. By 1954, when this exhibition was conceived and assembled, the historic metamorphosis of independence had brought it all to life. Everywhere one heard enthusiastic expressions of the desire to improve living standards, to provide better education, and at the same time to revive the esthetic traditions and techniques of the great past. It is too soon to expect much new architecture, painting and sculpture, but in pride in the national heritage and in the all-important preservation of works of art, a renaissance is being prepared: the former viceroy’s palace has been transformed into a National Museum, and there is a new National Museum of Modern Art…
End excerpt


The dancer Shanta Rao in South Indian costume


Top Left: Detail of embroidered turban, set with mirrors
Kathiawar, 19th Century

Bottom Left: Detail of silk tie-dyed sari
Kathiawar, 20th Century

Top Right: Detail of embroidered silk skirt
Cutch, 19th Century

Bottom Right: Detail of silk brocade shawl
Chanderi, 18th Century


Left: Tie-dyed satin shirt – red dots on black ground, with gold and sequin embroidery; Cutch, middle 19th Century
Right: Detail of a brocade jacket with woven Arabic letters – gold, red and dark blue on cream-colored ground; North India, 19th Century


Detail of satin veil, embroidered with silk – Dark blue. Central medallion set with mirrors
Cutch, 19th Century


Above, Left: Gold necklace; consisting of small plaques, chased and ornamented with granulated work and joined by gold links; Mohammedan style; Bombay, 19th Century

Above, right: Gold headband set with pear-shaped cabochon emeralds and rubies; South India, 17th Century

Below, left: Gold forehead ornament for a bridegroom – Lucknow, Oulh, 19th Century

Below, right: Gold necklace made of amulet boxes – 18th or 19th Century


“Tippu’s Tiger” Wood, containing mechanical organ to produce animal and human sounds. Length: 7’; Serigapatam, Mysore, c. 1790


Toy boat with figures; carved and painted ivory. Length: 37”; Rajput-Mogul, 18th Century


Left: Detail of printed silk; Block printed in Assam, woven in Bombay State. 20th Century

Right: Detail of embroidered and appliquéd canopy; Uttar Pradesh, early 20th Century

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