No Two Motifs are Alike

Indian artisans have produced some of the finest textiles, in every region of the subcontinent, since many centuries. In the second century, manufacturing of objects was dependent on the availability of raw materials and the tradition of practicing a craft within communities. However, the opening of trade centres and routes led to new “distribution possibilities,” and made ports in Gujarat and the southeast coastal region of India the major centres of textile production. From weaving a fine cotton fabric to dyeing a silk sari, every technique from India reached different corners of the world. 

Indian artisans in Gujarat were excellent at producing natural colours and using wax or mud resist to create spectacular motifs on cloth. Textiles like patolas (using the double ikat technique) were the earliest known examples, which were produced with natural dyes and resist. They were exported to Egypt and Southeast Asia as early as the fifth century. In Indonesia, patolas were considered to be auspicious and were collected by the Toraja family in the Sulawesi region. Although patola saris were traditionally dyed in silk, the patolas which were exported to Indonesia were created on cotton, and were often referred to as maa’ ceremonial cloths. The designs on maa’ ceremonial cloths imitated the ikat-like patterns of lozenges, animals and birds, and mythical figures. 

Textiles made for the Indonesian market were not only produced for wealthy families but were also made for the masses. Consisting of two or more panels, maa’ ceremonial cloths with palampore designs were assembled with additional borders. They were often dyed in just two colors – red and brown, to decrease the time of production.

Maa’ ceremonial cloths made for the Toraja families in Indonesia contained extremely detailed floral and leaf motifs. They were used as wall hangings, as gifts and also worn by men during rituals. 

Chinese, Japanese and Indian design influences on Asian motifs were very evident in chintzes which were popular in the Western market. European traders often travelled and facilitated the exchange of antiquities like silver boxes and furniture, spices like pepper and nutmeg and trade textiles between different markets in Asia. Often fascinated by the “exotic” motifs, collectors of chintz commissioned designs which included flowers, leaves, fruits and mythical creatures which were native to Asia. As the designs evolved with time, the motifs blended elements from western heraldic emblems with Asian birds, plants, animals and anthropomorphic creatures.

The origins of the tree of life motif are complicated, however, the textile scholar Lotika Varadarajan makes an interesting observation about the motifs’ significance in trade. She states that “the English and the Dutch developed a syncretic form which evolved into the Tree of Life design which could be depicted in endless mutation. The genesis of this motif was linked to a greater extent with Sino-Persian decorative elements rather than concepts of kalpa vriksha and bodhi tree depicted in Indian sculpture.”

The Indian chintz designs were gradually adapted by local British and French cloth producers. Many cloth producers in Britain had protested about the decline in consumption of local cloth and had demanded a ban on the export of chintz, however, textile scholar Giorgio Riello states that “many European printers struggled to match the rich and durable colors of India.”

According to cultural studies scholar Saloni Mathur, in the 17th century, when  trade relations between Indian and Britain began, the commercial interests of the East India Company were taken into account and “new desires, interests, opportunities were created in pursuit of Indian ‘things'.” The designs made by the artisans were not just a result of their hard-work and determination but was also part of a system which was segregated according to class, caste, race and geography. In conclusion, trade textiles provide a maker-centric analysis of cultural patterns in geographies, however, they also open up new areas for interdisciplinary research.