Indian & Himalayan Textiles & Rugs

The Thar desert, the Tibetan plateau, the islands of Sumba and Sumatra: a long road, all of it woven. Indian, Himalayan and Indonesian textiles cover a great sweep of weaving and embroidery. From Sindh come ralli quilts pieced and appliquéd by women, Banjara embroidery thick with mirrors, cowries and shells, toran door hangings and ghodiyu cradle cloths; Naga shawls come from the hills of Nagaland. In Tibet, painted and appliquéd thangkas depict Tara, Mahakala, Avalokiteshvara and the Guardian Kings. Indonesia has a vocabulary of its own: Sumba hinggi mantles in indigo and kombu red, Toba Batak ragidup ritual cloths, Toraja sekomandi hangings, Dayak and Ngada ikat and gold songket, with Kalinga weaving from the Philippines.

Cotton and silk, beaded, couched or mirrored, catch the light in a hundred small ways. A ralli quilt over a four-poster, a Batak cloth above a long sideboard, a thangka in a meditation corner: depth and story, stitched in.