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Signs of Ageing
Last year as I took out some of white-base Thirma Phulkari shawls for a client, I could not help noticing the huge difference in the colors of the base cloth of the super-old and the old textile.
The front is intact so it was not about fugitive dyes.
This was simply ageing.
How and why this yellowing happens with un-dyed cotton cloth (or its close cousins – plant-based fibres) is probably something a technical expert can explain to us.
There are others like this in the collection – a Bhutan shawl, some hilltribe textiles and some Gujarat textiles. The age stares at the viewer boldly and can be quite disconcerting as it takes a few thoughts to understand it fully.
But when one does, then the heart, the mind and the soul are alllll struck deeply.
This was one of the pieces that I though I’d never part with.
But then I did.
Life goes on.
***
jm
7 comments on “Signs of Ageing”
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Perhaps a good metaphor to ageing for us all…quite disconcerting but life goes on.
What a good metaphor on ageing for us all!
Yes – life goes on. And in general my experience with ageing is great – I have the whole nest to myself 🙂 and better still – the “Que Sera Sera – whatever will be will be” has been lived out and we KNOW for sure only now as we approach the end of the road how the journey has been – mostly fun. So I wouldn’t trade places with my 20 yr old self.
Agreed…but I might trade places with my 30-something-year-old self for a few days!
🙂
The difference in color is because the older embroidery was longer exposed to oxygen in the air. It is a slow process of oxidation. The quick result of oxidation you probably saw when a hot iron was left too long on a fabric. In this case heat expedite the reaction. The spot under the iron will have similar color actually depends how long you leave the iron – if too long it can leave a hole. Textiles also have a patina.
Wow – thanks for the note. I learnt something new today!