Kantha: the embroidered quilts of Bengal from the Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz collection and the Stella Kramrisch collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Abstract

"This first book-length study on kanthas published outside of South Asia focuses on two premier collections, one assembled by the legendary historian of Indian art, Dr. Stella Kramrisch, the other by Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz, leading proponents of self-taught art. Created from worn-out garments imaginatively embroidered by women with motifs and tales drawn from a rich regional repertoire, kanthas traditionally were stitched as gifts for births, weddings, and other family occasions." "Innovative essays by leading scholars explore the domestic, ritual, and historical contexts of the fascinating quilts in these collections - made between the mid-19th and mid-20th century in what is today Bangladesh and West Bengal, India - and trace their reinterpretation as emblems of national identity and works of art."--BOOK JACKET.

Contents

Background Texture: Lives and Landscapes of Bengal's Embroidered Quilts / Darielle Mason -- From Rags to Riches: Valuing Kanthas in Bengali Households / Pika Ghosh -- In Search of "Living Traditions": Gurusaday Dutt, Zainul Abedin, and the Institutional Life of Kanthas / Katherine Hacker -- Embroidering Bengal: Kantha Imagery and Regional Identity / Pika Ghosh -- Women's Words / Women's Voices in the Kantha / Niaz Zaman -- A Many-Splendored Thing: Kantha Technique and Design / Anne Peranteau -- Appendix. Stitch Diagrams -- The Stella Kramrisch Collection -- Interwoven in the Pattern of Time: Stella Kramrisch and Kanthas / Darielle Mason -- Kantha (1939) / Stella Kramrisch -- The Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz Collection -- Resonances: A Discussion on Collecting with Jill and Sheldon Bonovitz / Darielle Mason.