Rabari quilt cover c. 20th century

This Rabari quilt cover, made by an anonymous artist, likely somewhere in India, is a feast for the eyes in its use of stitch and colour. Looking at this piece I’m struck by the way the anonymous maker has used the process of quilt making almost like drawing, building up structures of squares within squares that give a great sense of depth. It’s so tactile. The texture, the colour, the surface, the sheer physicality of the embroidery thread – it’s all very apparent. I love how the saturated purples and reds play against the off-white ground. My eye’s drawn to one particular area, where a square is embellished with a burst of flowers, each petal meticulously stitched. This small detail really captures the overall feeling of the quilt, which is both structured and totally exuberant. Looking at this kind of repetitive geometric patterning, I can’t help but think of the work of someone like the quilter, Rosie Lee Tompkins. Ultimately, this piece reminds us that art is always in conversation, ideas flowing, changing, and evolving.