Block printed cotton hanging

pardeh qalamkār

The Persian term qalamkar (literally, “pen-work“) refers to printed or painted cotton fabrics. These are decorated with depictions from Persian heroic fables, floral and tendril patterns or cypresses growing out of vases, and animals. Depending on the motif, qalamkars are employed as fabric for clothing, wall hangings, or table cloths. They belong to the most typical products of the Qajar dynastic period. The most famous member of this dynasty, Naser ad-Din Shah, visits the Vienna World’s Fair in 1873.