The story behind the print
Tree of life
- Origin:
- India's painted and printed cottons
- Since:
- Exported to Europe from the late 17th century
A flowering tree full of birds and blossoms, the design that made Indian painted cottons famous around the world.
The flowering tree is one of the oldest and best-loved designs in Indian textiles: a tree rising from a mound, its branches spreading across the whole cloth, heavy with flowers and fruit and filled with birds and animals.
From the late 17th century, painted and printed Indian cottons with this design, called palampores, were shipped to Europe as bedcovers and wall hangings, and they became a craze. They were so popular that some European countries taxed or even banned Indian chintz to protect their own weavers. The design also shaped English embroidery of the time, and later the classic “Jacobean” florals.
On a bed, a tree of life brings a garden into the room. Look for it in our Dhurandhar and Ecuador designs.
