‏ Detail of a hanging

Trade textiles like chintz and palampores were produced in Northwestern and Southeastern part of India (formerly Coromandel Coast) for the European market particularly from the 17th century to 19th century and were used as wall hangings, bed covers, coverlets and clothing. Kalamkari (penwork - dyes are applied with hand using a bamboo pen or with a block) was one of the techniques which was used by artisans to achieve layers of colors and patterns. With white cotton cloth as the base, botanical motifs on palampores are dyed in reds, blues, yellows and greens. Iran was one of the ports through which cloth that was exported from India would travel to Europe.

Gujarat and Southeast coast supplied a lot of block printed textiles to Iran and Armenia.

The chintz or kalamkari textiles in Iran were used as prayer mats, wall hangings and dress material. They combined several architectural elements, botehs or kairi patterns and cypress trees. Seen here, is a cloth which might be used as a hanging with a central cypress tree motif with spectacular border with several botanical and zoological motifs. A series of imaginary hybrid creatures resembling tigers facing each other adorn the lower register adjacent to a chintz like floral border. The indigo and madder backgrounds in the borders give the textile a spectacular finish.