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-nineteenth and mid-twentieth centuries in what is today Bangladesh and West Bengal, India - and trace their reinterpretation as emblems of national identity and works of art.
- ISBN10 0300154429
- ISBN13 9780300154429
- Publish Date 1 January 2010
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 4 April 2012
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Yale University Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 304
- Language English