Chintz
Hanging: Coromandel Coast (circa 1700 – 1740). http://www.artdaily.com/imagenes/2008/08/29/Ashmolean2.jpg
LONDON,
August 29, 2008.- The Art Fund, the UK's leading independent art
charity, has helped the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology
to acquire an exceptional Indian textile which will be showcased
in its new West meets East gallery. The charity gave a grant of
£5,000 towards the £22,000 purchase price.
The
Ashmolean Museum has a superb collection of Indian dyed textiles
made for the Middle Eastern and South-East Asian markets, however,
Chintz Hanging: Coromandel Coast (circa 1700 – 1740) is the
first piece in their collection which was made specifically for
the European market.
David
Barrie, Director of The Art Fund, said: "I am delighted that
The Art Fund has enabled the Ashmolean to secure this very beautiful
work of art which will be displayed in the new West meets East
gallery. The textile perfectly exemplifies the artistic and cultural
exchanges which this new gallery is designed to explore."
The
chintz demonstrates the eastern fashion which swept Britain and
Europe in the 17th and 18th centuries. The fine quality of the
textile can be seen in the design. The cloth was painted with
resist and mordant prior to dying, a process which was repeated
several times to obtain the different colours. This complex technique
was perfected in the textile workshops of South-East India.
Dr
Ruth Barnes, Project Curator of the Textiles Gallery in the Ashmolean
Museum, said: "This chintz is an important addition to our
Indian textile collection, which is already remarkable for its
quality and size. The Museum has long been hoping to acquire a
work like the Chintz Hanging to complement our collections."
The
Ashmolean Museum is currently undergoing a major development which
will introduce 39 new galleries over five floors, and will incorporate
an innovative redisplay of the collections. Entitled Crossing
Cultures Crossing Time the display strategy will present visitors
with new ways of understanding how civilisations which have shaped
our modern societies developed as part of an interrelated network,
rather than in isolation. By making appropriate comparisons and
connections, the display concept traces the journey of ideas and
influences through the centuries and across continents.
In
the last two years The Art Fund has provided the Ashmolean Museum
with grants totalling more than £100,000 towards over 70
objects which are held in diverse collections; spanning late antiquity
to the 20th century, originating from East and West.
Chintz
Hanging: Coromandel Coast was purchased for £22,000, with
a grant of £5,000 from The Art Fund, £9,000 from the
V&A Museum Purchase Fund, £3,000 from the Friends of
the Ashmolean and the remaining amount coming from the Museum's
funds.
