Costume and Textiles Kantha (Embroidered Quilt) Made in Faridpur District, Bangladesh, Asiaor West Bengal, India, Asia Late 19th century Artist/maker unknown, Bengali or India Cotton plain weave with cotton embroidery in back, buttonhole, chain, darning, satin, split, running, eye, fishbone, and dot stitches Currently not on view 1968-184-10 Gift of Stella Kramrisch, 1968 |
LabelAlong the right border appears the Bengali story of a merchant's vision of the goddess Chandi rising from the ocean on a lotus and emitting elephants. The merchant and his retinue are depicted as wealthy residents of Calcutta out for a jaunt on the Hooghly River. Elsewhere on the kantha are satirical views of role reversal intended to highlight society's moral decline. A man drags his aged mother on a leash while his wife or mistress perches on one shoulder (upper left border). In the lower panel, an unusual motif depicts a red horse astride a crawling man who holds the strings of a hot-air balloon; the embroiderer seems to have combined the satirical image of a horse riding a man with that of a then popular Calcutta circus act involving a girl parachuting from a balloon onto the back of a running horse. Additional information:
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