Tree of Life palampore,

ca. 1730–50

This palampore, a textile whose name comes from the Hindi word palang-pos (bedspread or coverlet), is made of hand-woven cotton that was colored with natural dyes. The visual program presents a mountainous landscape from which rises a three-branched tree representing the eternal and mythical Ashvattha, a fig tree used to illustrate the revered tenet in both Hindu and Buddhist faiths that all aspects of life are sacred. The textile’s meticulously detailed botanical features were designed to appeal to the tastes of eighteenth-century European consumers, who coveted Indian textiles. The palampore also contains motifs connected to China, notably the repeated geometric patterns in the mountains of the lower section—a motif seen in Qing-dynasty (1644–1912) embroidery.