The dhurrie - for centuries a widely used floor covering in the Indian subcontinent - is becoming a cult item in Western decoration. Its striking colours and the powerful simplicity and variety of its designs are the perfect accompaniment to 21st-century interiors. This is the first thorough-going guide to the dhurrie, incorporating over 250 examples, most specially photographed. The history of dhurries stretches from the Ajanta cave paintings to the present day and readers will see here the earliest surviving dhurrie, from the 17th century, originally in the Amber Palace in Rajasthan. Each design pattern, whether of main field or border, figurative or geometric, is carefully analysed and clearly illustrated. Materials, spinning, dyeing, and the techniques of weaving are clearly explained and there is a map, a glossary, a select bibliography, and an index.
The history of the dhurrie stretches from the Ajanta cave paintings to the present day, and readers will see here the earliest surviving dhurrie, from the seventeenth century, originally in the Amber Palace in Rajasthan. No one is better placed than Nada Chaldecott to trace this history from the royal workshops of the Mughals and the Maharajahs, to impressive local cottage industries, and even the workshops attached to state penitentiaries.
For collectors and would-be collectors, for textiles aficionados and for everyone interested in a vital source of ideas for design and color, Dhurries is indispensable.
Nada Chaldecott, born in Lebanon, originated the Textiles, Carpets, and Tapestries course at Sotheby's Institute, London. Her researches on dhurries have taken her throughout India and Pakistan.
Price: $28.50
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