Nothing ‘chintzy’ about them!

Derived from the Hindi word ‘chint’, meaning spotted, ‘chintz’ refers to a glazed cotton textile that was mordant and resist-dyed, and patterned with hand-painting and block-printing. Since the late 19th century, it has been synonymous with cotton and linen and printed or painted home furnishings in geometric and floral patterns.

Chintz, which originated in Golconda, Hyderabad, was traded with other Indian cotton textiles, such as calico, across the Indian Ocean as early as the 13th century. When the Portuguese established new trade routes to India in the 15th century, enabling the bulk export of chintz to Europe, it became, like other Indian trade cottons, an immediate sensation.

In Europe, chintz was initially used for upholstery and home linen, but by the 18th century, it was being used in garments such as vests worn by men and dresses and petticoats for affluent women. When made for Europeans, it was characterised by a light background featuring delicate floral imagery or larger, asymmetrical patterns and narrative scenes. Its intricate floral motifs were inspired by the miniature paintings of the Mughals and the Deccan sultanates, as well as architectural elements. By the 18th century, however, its massive popularity and escalating demand had an adverse effect on the sale of British-made cloth, leading the British parliament to pass two successive Acts in 1700 and 1721, banning the import and use of printed Indian cottons.

As a result, stolen and second-hand chintzes and imitation prints on cotton and linen became popular among the middle and lower classes in Britain. Furthermore, the emergence of synthetic dyes, specialised machinery and systems of mass production bolstered the imitation printing industry in the Netherlands, Britain and France. With the ban on imported Indian cotton in effect, cheaper British-made cotton began to outnumber block-printed imports from India, and the export of chintz became limited to a small number of painted textiles from the Coromandel coast.

The mechanisation of England’s textile industry was also directly linked to the institutionalised slavery of West Africans in late 18th-century America. Toiling ceaselessly in vast plantations, enslaved people were coerced to produce large quantities of long-stapled American cotton, which was more suited to mechanised weaving, thus giving chintz a new meaning and form. The resulting fabric was mass-printed with imitation designs of Indian floral and Tree of Life motifs. Demand for machine-made chintz soared in the Victorian period, not just for its brilliant hues but also because, as a furnishing fabric, it was easy to clean. However, the poor quality of these cottons also gave rise to the term ‘chintzy’, which became synonymous with inferior quality and tackiness.

In the 1900s and 2000s, chintz has cycled in and out of fashion trends, from Jackie Kennedy’s White House décor in the 1960s, to Ikea’s ‘Chuck out the Chintz’ campaign of the 1990s, and now to the emergence of ‘granny chic’ on TikTok. One thing, however, remains certain — chintz has travelled far and wide, across languages and cultures, to leave its imprint on the world.

Discover Indian Art is a monthly column that delves into fascinating stories on art from across the subcontinent, curated by the editors of the MAP Academy. Find them on Instagram as @map_academy