Learning from Museums

Much of what we select in life, depends on what we have experienced until that point in time.

The more we’ve seen the more discerning we are likely to be. And that lowers the probabilities of making gross errors.

Naturally I learnt this fact very late 🙂 so I’ve made many errors in the past.

So now, when I have some free time, I visit online museum collections and explore their beautiful things.

Here is an example:

“

This is a rare example of Indian cotton decorated with a figurative pattern expressly designed for the Burmese market. The subject may be interpreted as courtly lovers, as both figures are dressed in costumes associated with the Burmese court in the first half of the 19th century. The woman oils her hair while the man sits in relaxed conversation. A parrot on a branch evokes the amorous nature of the scene

Figurative cloths of this type, presumably printed in India, may have served as theatrical backdrops, functioning as a form of Kalaga. This piece appears to involve a design with repeat images. This suggests that it was produced using a printing technique, possibly copper plates, rather than hand-painted. The cloth has a finished selvedge (an edge that prevents it unravelling), which suggests that it is machine woven”

From the V&A Museum.

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jm

wovensouls.com

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