A silk and metal-thread embroidered coverlet, Goa, India

Mariano Maldonado y Dávalos, Count of Villagonzalo and Marquis of la Scala, Ambassador to the Spanish King Alfonso XIII
Sotheby's London, September 27, 2012, lot 89

Cotton ground, quilted, some scattered stains and fading and some water marks. Transfer color in corners. Small losses to silk embroider most in one end border. Metal areas very slightly abraised. Color less hot than in illustration but truly vibrant, good saturated color. Later applied silk fringing along edges and purple silk backing. Good overall condition.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

For a comparable Indo-Portuguese embroidered coverlet, Goa, for European export market, circa 1720, see Lanto Synge, Art of Embroidery, History of Style and Technique, The Royal School of Needlework, London, 2001, Chapter Eleven, Indian Export Needlework, pp.310-323, pl.305, p. 317. This cited example is on the more commonly found ivory quilted ground and not the unusual purple ground of the present panel. The main field of rows of evenly placed flowering bushes is reminiscent of the Mughal floral carpet motifs of the 17th century, which in turn influenced designs of the Indian embroidered and printed fabric floor-spreads and coverlets, which were also produced with variations in styles for the European market.

The often substantial floral floor-spreads and coverlets echo the gardens surrounding the palaces, and are present in prestigious portrait paintings of this period showing the central role played by evocative and beautifully worked textiles in the life of the court. A charming representation of two similarly colored and exuberant floral floor-spreads, is found in a painting of Maharaja Jaswant Singh I at a music performance during a monsoon, Jodhpur, circa 1670, whose reign over three distinct regions coincided with the completion of two major imperial garden projects and his building of a garden and pleasure palace by the Sur Sagar Lake. See Garden and Cosmos – The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur, Ed. D. Diamond, C. Glynn and  K Singh Jasol, Travelling Exhibition 2008-2009, organized by the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution in collaboration with the Mehrangarh Museum Trust, India, Published London 2008, Origins of Jodhpur Court Painting, pp.51-69, cat. No. 6, pp. 62-63. For comprehensive discussion on the Indian centers of textile production, their designs and markets, see Arts of India: 1550-1900: The Nehru Gallery of Indian Art, Victoria and Albert Museum, London, Ed. John Guy and Deborah Swallow, V&A publications, 1990, Chp.6, Europeans and the Textile Trade, pp.153-171.