Glossary of Indian Chintz

A unique form of block-printing using only colors derived from nature, such as indigo, henna, turmeric, pomegranate, iron, and mud. This technique is found mostly in the village of Bhuj in the city of Ajrakhpur, Kachchh district, Gujarāt state, India, and in Sindh, Pakistan.

Oxide of aluminum used as a mordant before dyeing.

A type of tie-dye textile decorated by plucking the cloth with the fingernails into many tiny bindings that form a figurative design; often associated with the state of Gujarāt, specifically the northwestern district of Kachchh.

Cotton cloth that has been resisted with beeswax and dyed using natural or synthetic colors; particularly associated with Java, Indonesia.

A process of pounding cotton or linen fabric with wooden beetle mallets to produce a hard, flat surface with high luster and greater absorbency.

An almond- or pine cone-shaped motif with a sharp-curved upper end. Though of Iranian origin—where it is known as boteh—it is very common in India, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. The būta spread to Europe via Kashmir shawls, where such patterns are known as “paisleys” (named after Paisley, Renfrewshire in Scotland, a major center of textile production featuring this motif).

A 17th-century term, used for centuries in Europe and the United States, to refer to Indian hand-drawn or printed cotton cloth. It is a corruption of the Hindu word chitte (singular) or chintes (plural), of the same meaning. Today, the term generally refers to printed or dyed cotton fabric that is glazed.

The ability of a fabric to keep the same color without fading or running even if washed, placed in harsh light, exposed to perspiration, or treated with certain chemicals.

Introduced by Irish printer Francis Nixon in 1752, a technique of printing onto cotton or linen with large engraved metal plates, measuring up to 36 inches or one square yard. Copperplate-printed textiles are distinguished by designs with fine lines, rendered in monochrome shades of red, purple, blue, or brown.

Paste made of mud and additional ingredients; used in western India as a resist before dyeing.

A large ceremonial hip wrapper, commonly worn over trousers in central Javanese courts. Indian versions often feature large diamond or lozenge shapes at their center.

A natural, synthetic, or semi-synthetic substance used to color cloth.

The process of applying starches, glues, shellacs, resins, or other stiffeners to cloth and smoothing it through hot metal rollers to create a highly polished surface.

The background of a printed design; it may be uncolored, a solid color, or patterned.

An Indonesian dyeing technique in which sections of yarn have been tie-dyed before weaving into cloth.

A pen with a bamboo shaft and a yarn reservoir made in a variety of sizes and shapes. Chintz painters use kalam pens to apply solutions and create colors and patterns.

From Persian, meaning “pen work.” This ancient style of hand-painting is done on cotton or silk fabric with a kalam pen using natural pigments.

Handwoven fabric made from handspun thread.

Ceremonial cloths preserved as sacred heirlooms, often in the form of Indian trade cloths made for the Indonesian market, especially for the Toraja people on the island of Sulawesi.

From the Latin word mordere, meaning “to bite”; a fixative, often of metallic oxide, which helps bond certain dyes to textile fibers to make them adhere to fabric.

Applying mordants by steeping, printing, drawing, or painting prior to dyeing to produce durable color on cotton.

A dye consisting of ground nuts of the Terminalia chebula tree. It may be used in the mordant procedure or as a dye, giving a light, buttery yellow color to the fabric.

A type of hand-painted and mordant-dyed bedcover or hanging made in India for the export market during the late 17th and 18th centuries.

Saris woven from silk using the ikat technique, in which the yarns have been tie-dyed before weaving. The term patola derives from the city of Patan, Gujarāt, India, where such textiles were produced in large quantities.

The process of adding a pattern to cloth by using a physical barrier to resist the penetration of dye or mordant. Examples of resists include wax, resin, clay, and mud.

The process of feeding fabric through a series of engraved metal rollers to form continuous printed designs. Invented by Scottish printer Thomas Bell in 1783, the technique was first used for furnishing fabrics around 1810.

The Japanese term for imported Indian chintz, derived from the Portuguese word saraça.

Rows of triangular motifs decorating cloth ends; used by Javanese batik artisans.