Indienne - Kalamkar moghol

India, 18th century Beautiful cotton hanging in two strips, block-printed by hand, decorated in red, green and blue on an ivory background. The central panel is decorated with three large arches forming a mihrab. In the centre is a tree of life, framed by two finer trees of life decorated with irises or stylised carnations. Birds overhang the three arches. The central panel is framed by three borders decorated with floral arabesques punctuated by botehs. At the top and bottom, two large borders; one decorated with birds facing each other around a carnation in medallions, the other decorated with a tree of life topped by a bird passing to the right. Complete. Very good condition. 340 x 160 cm A very fine hand and block printed cotton textile, India, 18th century This type of hanging was an important element in the decoration of Mughal interiors. Isolated or gathered, they were used as mobile screens in tents and in various palaces. The motif of the tree of life in a niche is a 16th-century Safavid legacy that entered the Mughal decorative vocabulary in the 17th century. The popularity of this motif may be a consequence of Jahangir's passionate interest in botany and his active encouragement of the representation of flowers and plants in the work of the court workshops, with the result that it became an essential element of the Mughal decorative repertoire. Private collection, Paris