Colcha (Bedspread)

Colcha (Bedspread)

1660-1690
Locale
Bengal
Country
India
Object
bedspread, wall hanging
Medium
Silk satin, silk thread; embroidery (chain stitch)
Accession Number
2013.9
Credit Line
Neusteter Textile Collection: Volunteer Endowment Fund in honor of the Denver Art Museum volunteers

Unrecorded maker, Colcha (Bedspread), Bengal,1660-1690. Silk satin, silk thread; embroidery (chain stitch); 108 1/4 x 78 1/2 in. Denver Art Museum: Volunteer Endowment Fund in honor of the Denver Art Museum volunteers, 2013.9.

Dimensions
height: 108 1/4 in, 274.9550 cm; width: 78 1/2 in, 199.3900 cm
Department
Avenir Institute of Textile Arts and Fashion
Collection
Textile Arts and Fashion-Asian
Made in India for export to Europe. A central panel with attached borders left and right. The embroidery is executed in a variety of colors: red, green, yellow, white and blue which stand out against the dark indigo ground. Its central field contains a number of concentric circles, decorated with flowers and animals around the central medallion in which a pelican is rendered, feeding her young with her blood (Christian symbol of self-sacrifice and resurrection, which was common to Catholic iconography in Southern Europe). In the corners of the field two pairs of flying birds, adjoining a vase with flowers, are prominently rendered. The field is further adorned with small birds, rabbits, and flowering branches. In the broad borders deer, rabbits, birds, a horse and a striped hedgehog are depicted between flowered branches. In the four corners of the broad borders, which are separated by narrow ones filled with flowers, pairs of birds are embroidered similar to the ones in the central field. Two narrow borders, equally filled with flowers, separate the field from the broad borders and run along the edges of the carpet. A silk fringe in alternating colors is attached to the outer narrow borders.
Known Provenance
Purchased spring 2012 at auction in France by Francesca Galloway [London, UK]; purchased May 2013 from Francesca Galloway by the Denver Art Museum
Exhibition History
  • "Cover Story," May 17, 2013 - April 27, 2014 (DAM)