New Delhi | Textile exhibition Vayan - The Art of Indian Brocades delves into the history of the decorative weave

In New Delhi, Vayan delves into the history of brocades, with exhibits spanning from the 19th century to the present

The 17th century English explorer Edward Terry wrote of his visit to India: “The natives there show very much ingenuity in their curious manufactures, as in their silk stuffs, which they most artificially weave, some very neatly mingled either with silver or gold or both...”

It is these glowing, glistening, lustrous “silk stuffs” that are the subject of a dazzling exhibition at the National Crafts Museum & Hastkala Academy in New Delhi, this month. Vayan – The Art of Indian Brocades is the second in a series of small but significant textile exhibitions, curated by Mayank Mansingh Kaul for the Devi Foundation, in collaboration with the National Crafts Museum. Representing a period broadly from the 19th century to the present, the exhibits are drawn from both their collections.

Entering the exhibition, your eyes adjust to a dark black void from which gradually emerge luminous patches of radiant colour. Each of the six sections highlights different weaving styles from all over the country linked by common visual, aesthetic and technical attributes — Banaras, of course, and Kanjeevaram, but also textiles from Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Central India.

Many of the pieces are saris or odhnis with ornate decorative pallavs and strong, deep colours — red, magenta, orange — and broad, patterned gold-edged borders. Stylised paisleys, both as end pieces and as ornamental konia corners, are a recurring feature, as are trailing floral arabesques and stylised roses and poppies. Included are brocades using complex hand-weaving techniques, such as luxurious samites, lampas and velvets, as well as lighter chanderis and tissues, and the now extinct gethwa technique of Varanasi. Ingeniously designed by Reha Sodhi, one of the delights of this exhibition is that, despite the relatively small space, each exhibit can be seen in isolation, and therefore has its own dramatic impact.

I was delighted to see a celebration of my favourite, but less known, Paithani and Asavalli saris: their dull golds, tawny pinks, mulberrys and olive greens so subtle both in colour and patterning. The exhibition features a few striking contemporary pieces with more abstract, bolder designs, such as a pop art-inspired gyaser, showing the range and versatility of the medium.

The name ‘Vayan’ is from Hindi, referring to the art of weaving. Known in India from ancient times, brocade was called hiranya or cloth of gold in Vedic literature, while in Gupta times it was known as puspapata, or cloth with woven flowers. Kimkhab is another word, derived from the Persian, still often used for Indian brocade. It has a poetic dual meaning — “a little dream” and “woven flower” — both evocative of its intricate, dreamlike, often floral, patterns.

These extraordinary Indian brocades, woven with silk and gold or silver thread, are characterised by their raised floral or figured motifs and designs, introduced during weaving through the extra warp process. This was traditionally done by a nimble fingered young boy, till Joseph Marie Jacquard’s loom and punchcards replaced him in the early 19th century. In India though, the older methods continued alongside much longer.