Wall or Bed Hanging (palampore), 1725–1740; Indian, for the European, possibly Dutch, market; cotton, painted mordants, resist, and dyes; textile: 140 3/16 x 106 5/16 inches; Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto, Canada, Harry Wearne Collection, Gift of Mrs. Harry Wearne (934.4.7) 2022.128; © Royal Ontario Museum, Photo: Tina Weltz
Global Threads: The Art and Fashion of Indian Chintz, the new main gallery exhibition at the Saint Louis Art Museum, is a lesson in both textiles and trade, telling the story of a fabric that “changed the world” according to the curatorial team behind the show.
On view October 23 through January 8, 2023, Global Threads is dedicated to Indian chintz, a painted and printed cotton fabric that has held popularity around the world since the 17th century. The hard-to-replicate production process includes cycles of dyeing, washing, drying, and hand-painting intricate geometric, floral, and figural patterns. This arduous process is explored throughout the exhibition, both through historic and modern textiles themselves and multimedia elements, such as those in the educational areas in galleries 244 and 245. There, videos and displays explain the complicated process of developing and implementing natural dyes using elements such as indigo and turmeric root.
The exhibition, which was originally produced by Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum, is far-reaching in both time and geography. Examples of chintz newly acquired by the Saint Louis Art Museum and items inspired by its patterns sit alongside pieces from the Royal Ontario Museum’s extensive textile collection. “We decided to bring [Global Threads] here because we felt it was a very good fit for our community, so we hope people will enjoy the show,” says Philip Hu, SLAM’s curator of Asian art. Adds Genny Cortinovis, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation assistant curator of decorative arts and design, “We don't have much of this material in our own collection. We have a little bit, which you’ll see in the exhibition, but we’re so excited to be able to present this material to St. Louis.”
Initial galleries provide examples of chintz produced for markets such as Iran, Indonesia, and Armenia—the patterns shifting and changing to adapt to the wants of each culture. A particular gem of the collection, “Cope with Angels, Cross, and Dedicatory Inscription” from 1789 (“I love all the objects in the show, but if the building’s on fire, I’m definitely grabbing it. It’s spectacular,” quipped Cortinovis at a recent tour.) was produced in a pattern that would please a member of the Armenian diaspora based in India.
“Woman's Jacket (Wentke) with Flowers and Phoenixes”, c.1700s; textile: Indian for European market; construction and trim: Dutch; cotton, painted mordants and resist; Royal Ontario Museum ROM962.107.2; © Royal Ontario Museum, Photo: Brian Boyle
The galleries then shift to mark the European love of chintz, featured on wall hangings, bedding, and garments throughout the continent. It was so popular that the fabric was actually banned in England and France to stave off the devastating effects it would have on the local garment economy. “There was a surreptitious, clandestine market for Indian chintz, and there were lots and lots of interesting loopholes for how to get around some of these measures. Most of the objects in the gallery were actually made and exported during this moment of prohibition,” says Cortinovis. The Dutch, however, never banned chintz. Its popularity surged, and it even worked its way into traditional folk dress, as seen in a jacket and straw hat on display.
The exhibition’s scope stretches all the way to the United States, where displays incorporate both examples of American mimicry of the Indian textile and exploration of the effects it had on our country’s cotton trade, including its effects on enslaved people.
Global Threads then leaves us in the here and now, where contemporary artists are still upholding the long tradition of chintz production in fashion and the decorative arts. There is also a significant focus on keeping the process sustainable and environmentally conscious through the use of biodegradable, natural dyes.
“This is a special moment in many ways for the museum,” says Hu. “We have not done a show based on Indian art for many, many years at this museum. A whole generation has gone by. So we’re very pleased to be able to present art that was originally from India, because we know that there’s a big Indian community in our metropolitan area, and their art and their culture is amazing. We hope we can help showcase that.”
Global Threads: The Art and Fashion of Indian Chintz runs October 23 through Jauary 8, 2023 at the Saint Louis Art Museum. Tickets are $6-12, and free for members and children 5 and under. Tickets are available at metrotix.com.
