Artwork Page for Weaving and Spinning

Details / Information for Weaving and Spinning

Weaving and Spinning

c. 1860

Kehar Singh

(Indian)
Culture
India, Punjab, probably Amritsar or Lahore, Company school, 19th century
Medium
Gum tempera and ink on paper
Measurements
Overall: 23.7 x 19 cm (9 5/16 x 7 1/2 in.)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. William E. Ward 1987.162
Public Domain
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Location
Not on view
Print

Description

Hand-spun and woven cotton cloth was probably the most important commodity exported from India during the 1700s and 1800s. The British East India Company expanded to manage the business of textile production and international sale. The
humble conditions under which Indian weavers and spinners worked are depicted here, where simple looms are made from crude branches, and the craftsmen work on the ground. The inscriptions at the top of the page indicate the artist’s name and the workers’ occupations.
A horizontally oriented gum tempera and ink painting on cream paper depicts two figures crafting textiles. At left, a shirtless man with a medium skin tone and dark beard operates a large wooden loom. To the right, a woman in a red and white striped shirt and blue trousers sits on a low stool using a spinning wheel. She wears a white head covering. Delicate black Persian script is centered at the top.

Weaving and Spinning

c. 1860

Kehar Singh

(Indian)
India, Punjab, probably Amritsar or Lahore, Company school, 19th century

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