Stitches Across Borders
January 2008
Similar to the famed rugs of the region, ralli tops have a large, center field framed by two to five or more borders. Lest that sound tidy to the point of tedium, rallis are enlivened by bold colors and dynamic patterns. Red, black and white, the basic colors, are joined by yellow, green, purple, orange, blue and sometimes bright pink. The shapes themselves may be either purely geometric or based on familiar items or natural elements, such as clouds, lightning, trees, flowers and water. Enrichments such as mirrors, tassels, or beads add to the beauty of the quilt, and also offer protection against evil spirits.
The IQSC has 93 rallis in its permanent collection. Consider the illustrated example on the facing page made anonymously in Middle Sindh, Pakistan (c. 1960). Squares and triangles in the border recombine in myriad patterns, and seem to dance along diagonal lines; yet the overall composition is held together by balance. Note how the six central squares alternates colors. And while each motif is slightly different, the constants of shape and style, and the limitation of the sole four colors bring order to the quilt’s arrangement.
The Indus Valley region has an ancient pedigree regarding textiles, and ralli designs often echo those found on ancient pottery. Cotton production here dates to 5500 B.C., and quilting and patchwork may have begun as far back as prehistoric times. Religious and ethnic cultural traditions determine choices of color, style and stitches. Stoddard offers an example: "From the Hindu perspective red is a sacred color, as an expression of creative energy—shakti—and vital force, power and anger." And Islam’s artistic vocabulary of geometric and botanic shapes has reinforced an aesthetic expression that extends beyond the religion’s practioners. Nonetheless, these traditions have continuously adapted to influences of social and technical infiltration. Sewing machines and colorfast cottons are just the latest innovations. "Every ralli quilt tells a story," says Stoddard. If so, these quilts speak of a spare life, lived with dignity and brightened by the spark of creativity.
A complete opposite from the ralli are the quilts known as broderie de Marseille. These elegant French bedcovers are recognized by their allover white needlework on an expanse of fine white cotton (also known as whitework). From the 17th through the 19th centuries, professional needlewomen working in ateliers produced fragile-looking confections that were, in truth, warm and strong. Following a pattern, flowers, fruits, monograms, scrolls and other symbols of abundance were meticulously outlined in two parallel lines of tiny running stitches, and the space was then filled with cord. This "corded and stuffed" technique is sometimes called bas-relief quilting, which describes its dimensional aspect. "The play of light and shadow over the surface illuminates each curve and arc of the raised pattern," writes French and American textile expert Kathryn Berenson, in her book Quilts of Provence: The Art and Craft of French Quiltmaking (Potter Craft, 2007).
The port of Marseilles was a busy trade center, with an active textile industry by the close of the 17th century. Fine cotton was imported from India, the Near East and later, Egypt. The eponymous needlework of Marseilles supplied luxury markets in Europe, the French Caribbean and America. Today, in a revival of interest, these quilts are sought by connoisseurs of textiles and French culture. "They are very rare now," says Berenson. "They’ve all gone into French households. It’s their heritage."
A good condition Marseilles quilt will cost "tens of thousands," says Berenson. New York quilt dealer Laura Fisher described a quilt sold for nearly $50,000 at the 1996 Fall Antiques Show in New York. "It was a French masterpiece, and was signed and dated, which is very unusual. Whitework displays the fine stitching, without the distraction of colors or piecing."
The collector will find the category confused by various spellings of "Marseilles," the inclusion of period American whitework and machine-loomed coverlets, and modern reproductions. (Age may be determined by examination under an ultraviolet light.) One distinction of French quilts is their almost completely filled background. In the "Vase of Flowers" (c. 1825) wedding quilt, one of many French quilts and textiles that Berenson made available to the IQSC, the center motif of flowers in an urn is surrounded by alternating squares of flowers and padded puffs. In 2010, the IQSC will mount an exhibition of these rarely seen treasures.
Bob and Ardis James remain ardent champions of the history and beauty of quilts. With the support of collectors like these, the IQSC continues to grow in size and scope, proving to visitors that quilts can reveal the ancient traditions of fiber art, illustrate a time in history or connect us, like an embroidered trail, to humanity’s rich ethnic diversity.
The IQSC has 93 rallis in its permanent collection. Consider the illustrated example on the facing page made anonymously in Middle Sindh, Pakistan (c. 1960). Squares and triangles in the border recombine in myriad patterns, and seem to dance along diagonal lines; yet the overall composition is held together by balance. Note how the six central squares alternates colors. And while each motif is slightly different, the constants of shape and style, and the limitation of the sole four colors bring order to the quilt’s arrangement.
The Indus Valley region has an ancient pedigree regarding textiles, and ralli designs often echo those found on ancient pottery. Cotton production here dates to 5500 B.C., and quilting and patchwork may have begun as far back as prehistoric times. Religious and ethnic cultural traditions determine choices of color, style and stitches. Stoddard offers an example: "From the Hindu perspective red is a sacred color, as an expression of creative energy—shakti—and vital force, power and anger." And Islam’s artistic vocabulary of geometric and botanic shapes has reinforced an aesthetic expression that extends beyond the religion’s practioners. Nonetheless, these traditions have continuously adapted to influences of social and technical infiltration. Sewing machines and colorfast cottons are just the latest innovations. "Every ralli quilt tells a story," says Stoddard. If so, these quilts speak of a spare life, lived with dignity and brightened by the spark of creativity.
A complete opposite from the ralli are the quilts known as broderie de Marseille. These elegant French bedcovers are recognized by their allover white needlework on an expanse of fine white cotton (also known as whitework). From the 17th through the 19th centuries, professional needlewomen working in ateliers produced fragile-looking confections that were, in truth, warm and strong. Following a pattern, flowers, fruits, monograms, scrolls and other symbols of abundance were meticulously outlined in two parallel lines of tiny running stitches, and the space was then filled with cord. This "corded and stuffed" technique is sometimes called bas-relief quilting, which describes its dimensional aspect. "The play of light and shadow over the surface illuminates each curve and arc of the raised pattern," writes French and American textile expert Kathryn Berenson, in her book Quilts of Provence: The Art and Craft of French Quiltmaking (Potter Craft, 2007).
The port of Marseilles was a busy trade center, with an active textile industry by the close of the 17th century. Fine cotton was imported from India, the Near East and later, Egypt. The eponymous needlework of Marseilles supplied luxury markets in Europe, the French Caribbean and America. Today, in a revival of interest, these quilts are sought by connoisseurs of textiles and French culture. "They are very rare now," says Berenson. "They’ve all gone into French households. It’s their heritage."
A good condition Marseilles quilt will cost "tens of thousands," says Berenson. New York quilt dealer Laura Fisher described a quilt sold for nearly $50,000 at the 1996 Fall Antiques Show in New York. "It was a French masterpiece, and was signed and dated, which is very unusual. Whitework displays the fine stitching, without the distraction of colors or piecing."
The collector will find the category confused by various spellings of "Marseilles," the inclusion of period American whitework and machine-loomed coverlets, and modern reproductions. (Age may be determined by examination under an ultraviolet light.) One distinction of French quilts is their almost completely filled background. In the "Vase of Flowers" (c. 1825) wedding quilt, one of many French quilts and textiles that Berenson made available to the IQSC, the center motif of flowers in an urn is surrounded by alternating squares of flowers and padded puffs. In 2010, the IQSC will mount an exhibition of these rarely seen treasures.
Bob and Ardis James remain ardent champions of the history and beauty of quilts. With the support of collectors like these, the IQSC continues to grow in size and scope, proving to visitors that quilts can reveal the ancient traditions of fiber art, illustrate a time in history or connect us, like an embroidered trail, to humanity’s rich ethnic diversity.
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