Author: Shyam Ahuja
Meera Ahuja/Mridula Maluste
Publisher: India Book House
Year: N/A
Language: English
Pages: 272
ISBN/UPC (if available): 8175081112
Description
Largely unappreciated, traditional flatwoven Indian dhurries have long been overshadowed by luxuriant Mughal pile carpets. Dhurrie, the first comprehensive book on these ancient flatwoven rugs, presents the dhurrie as a significant floor covering from the Indian subcontinent.
Transcending social boundaries, the dhurrie was used by commoner and royalty alike: at its simplest it was multi-purpose textile used as floor covering, bedding or packaging, while at its most elaborate-woven with the finest fibers and enhanced by gold-wrapped thread-it graced the palaces of royalty.
This book traces the dhurrie’s past: from the shadows of prehistoric India, the lavish Mughal courts and the bustling commerce of British India, to the present day. It catalogues nearly a hundred old hurries, including traditional prayer rugs with domed mosques, dhurries with classic stripes and ornate geometrical designs as well as a collection of the most beautiful pictorial flatweaves.
Dhurrie also introduces the weavers of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, and is a guide to the dhurrie’s many stages of development: from the selection and dyeing of yarn to the actual processes of weaving, washing and finishing.
Having revitalized the dying craft of dhurrie weaving, Shyam Ahuja-whose name is synonymous with the modern Indian dhurrie-describes his intense involvement with this flatwoven rug. Drawing inspiration from sources as unexpected and diverse as a Versailles ceiling, the Scottish tartan and the traditional Indian paisley, he presents a selection of his favorite designs.
Exhaustively researched and abundantly illustrated with over 300 color pictures, Dhurrie documents the history and development of India’s flatwoven rugs.
Contents
THAT CRAZY PASTEL MAN
Introduction
LOOKING BACK
The Search for a Beginning
OUT OF THE SHADOWS
The 18th Century and Beyond
POMP AND PROTOCOL
Traditional Uses of the Dhurrie
A WOVEN LEGACY
Dhurries from the 19th and early 20th Centuries
LIVING WITH THE LOOM
Weavers of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh
TIMELESS WEFTS
Technique and Structure
THE DRAMA OF DESIGN
Contemporary Shyam Ahuja Dhurries
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Credits
Index