Large Deccani Floorspread

Textiles in this style were made by embroiderers in Deccan for the local sultanates as well as for export to Europe. One of the most common trade routes to Europe was through the Portuguese port in Goa, and so these textiles are sometimes mislabeled as being “Goan” or “Indo-Portuguese.”

Deccani embroiderers tended to compose slightly different designs for the local market as opposed to the European market. If a bed cover was meant for a regional court, the embroiderers would take inspiration from Islamic book covers and include central and corner quarter medallions into the central rectangular ground. If a bed cover was meant for the European market, the embroiderer would usually just fill the central ground with floral motifs. This piece has central and corner medallions, and was therefore likely meant for the regional court.

Polychromatic silk embroidered florals and vines cover most of the white cotton ground. A central medallion is surrounded by a floral field surrounded by three borders.The piece is finished on the edges with a pink silk fringe.