Friday, September 7, 2018

Indienne

One of the oldest artefacts in the isishweshwe collection, this dress is an example of 'Indienne'. It is made of Indian cotton (chintz or calico) and has a continuous pattern of delicate intertwined stems bearing leaves and flowers. The dress originated on the Coromandel coast of India in the third quarter of the 18th century. Indian chintz was extremely popular throughout the eighteenth century, and was imported into the Netherlands by the Dutch East India Company, thus making it available at the Company's halfway station at the Cape.

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