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Ikat length

Title	Ikat length
Author	Unknown
Publication Date:	1870
Publication Place	Hotan (made) -
Subject	Textiles India Museum
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Physical Dimensions	Length: 254cm, Width: 30.5cm
Library:	Victoria and Albert Museum
Library Asset ID	2106(IS)
Record ID	2106(IS)
Library Location	Middle East Section
Date	1870
Notes	Central Asian ikat fabrics were woven in long lengths like this example and were then used to make larger textiles of one of two types. They were either made into clothing or enlarged and used as hangings around the home. Ikats were high status items, often made under the patronage of the courts. The complex and highly skilled method of production â a process of resist dyeing the silk threads before weaving â meant that ikats were labour-intensive and expensive to produce. For this reason ikat clothing was often reserved for special occasions such as weddings and funerals, and was also given by members of the court as ârobes of honourâ ( khilat ) to thank or honour high-ranking guests. The earliest dated Central Asian ikats in the UK are from the Shaw collection at the Ashmolean Museum, which are known to date from before 1868. The V&Aâs collection of lengths of ikat fabrics came into the collection in 1880 from the India Office. Documentation handed over with them record that they were purchased on two separate occasions, the first group in Kabul in 1870 and the second (including this piece) in Yarkand (modern-day Shache in China) in April 1875. We can therefore date these textiles to prior to these acquisition years.
Tarihsel bağlam	The âgolden ageâ of nineteenth century Central Asian ikats is closely bound up with the economic and cultural dynamism of the cities which produced it â such as Samarkand and Bukhara, in modern-day Uzbekistan, and Kabul and Kunduz in Afghanistan. Large neighbourhoods existed to house the dyers, weavers, binders and designers whose collaborative activity went into the making of ikat fabrics. Central Asian ikat fabrics were woven in long lengths like this example and were then used to make larger textiles of one of two types. They were either made into clothing or enlarged and used as hangings around the home. Ikats were high status items, often made under the patronage of the courts. The complex and highly skilled method of production â a process of resist dyeing the silk threads before weaving â meant that ikats were labour-intensive and expensive to produce. For this reason ikat clothing was often reserved for special occasions such as weddings and funerals, and was also given by members of the court as ârobes of honourâ ( khilat ) to thank or honour high-ranking guests.
Malzemeler ve teknikler	Silk and cotton warp ikat Ikat Resist Dyeing
Fiziksel açıklama	Narrow length of ikat fabric with a pattern of red squares, yellow crosses and blue and green diamond shapes on a white backround.
Üretim	Acquired in Yarkand (modern-day Shache in China) in 1875

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Victoria and Albert Museum

Ikat length

Author Unknown

Publication Date 1870

Publication Place Hotan (made) -

Subject Textiles India Museum

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Physical Dimensions Length: 254cm, Width: 30.5cm

Library Victoria and Albert Museum

Library Asset ID 2106(IS)

Record ID 2106(IS)

Library Location Middle East Section

Date 1870

Notes Central Asian ikat fabrics were woven in long lengths like this example and were then used to make larger textiles of one of two types. They were either made into clothing or enlarged and used as hangings around the home. Ikats were high status items, often made under the patronage of the courts. The complex and highly skilled method of production â a process of resist dyeing the silk threads before weaving â meant that ikats were labour-intensive and expensive to produce. For this reason ikat clothing was often reserved for special occasions such as weddings and funerals, and was also given by members of the court as ârobes of honourâ ( khilat ) to thank or honour high-ranking guests. The earliest dated Central Asian ikats in the UK are from the Shaw collection at the Ashmolean Museum, which are known to date from before 1868. The V&Aâs collection of lengths of ikat fabrics came into the collection in 1880 from the India Office. Documentation handed over with them record that they were purchased on two separate occasions, the first group in Kabul in 1870 and the second (including this piece) in Yarkand (modern-day Shache in China) in April 1875. We can therefore date these textiles to prior to these acquisition years.

Tarihsel bağlam The âgolden ageâ of nineteenth century Central Asian ikats is closely bound up with the economic and cultural dynamism of the cities which produced it â such as Samarkand and Bukhara, in modern-day Uzbekistan, and Kabul and Kunduz in Afghanistan. Large neighbourhoods existed to house the dyers, weavers, binders and designers whose collaborative activity went into the making of ikat fabrics. Central Asian ikat fabrics were woven in long lengths like this example and were then used to make larger textiles of one of two types. They were either made into clothing or enlarged and used as hangings around the home. Ikats were high status items, often made under the patronage of the courts. The complex and highly skilled method of production â a process of resist dyeing the silk threads before weaving â meant that ikats were labour-intensive and expensive to produce. For this reason ikat clothing was often reserved for special occasions such as weddings and funerals, and was also given by members of the court as ârobes of honourâ ( khilat ) to thank or honour high-ranking guests.

Malzemeler ve teknikler Silk and cotton warp ikat Ikat Resist Dyeing

Fiziksel açıklama Narrow length of ikat fabric with a pattern of red squares, yellow crosses and blue and green diamond shapes on a white backround.

Üretim Acquired in Yarkand (modern-day Shache in China) in 1875