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Under review

Qalamkar block printing vs Pateh embroidery (Kerman)

قلمکار · پته

Qalamkar block printing: A resist-dyed and block-printed cotton textile, historically associated with Isfahan, in which carved wooden blocks stamp repeating floral and figural patterns onto cloth in successive colour stages. Pateh embroidery (Kerman): A hand-embroidered wool textile from Kerman in which coloured silk or wool threads are worked in dense chain and satin stitching over a woollen ground, typically in a limited palette against a natural or dyed field.

Side by side

Qalamkar block printingPateh embroidery (Kerman)
Persian nameقلمکارپته
CategoryTextiles · Printed and painted clothTextiles · Embroidery
Materialscottonwool, cotton
Techniquesblock-printingsurface-embroidery
Regionsisfahankerman
Periodssafavid, qajar, pahlavi, contemporaryqajar, pahlavi, contemporary
Motifsgol-o-morgh, eslimi-arabesque, botehboteh, gol-o-morgh, eslimi-arabesque
Current vitalityAt riskAt risk

What they share

  • Materials: cotton
  • Motifs: gol-o-morgh, eslimi-arabesque, boteh
  • Periods: qajar, pahlavi, contemporary

How to tell them apart

  • Materials such as wool point towards Pateh embroidery (Kerman).
  • Qalamkar block printing typically involves block-printing.
  • Pateh embroidery (Kerman) typically involves surface-embroidery.
  • The stated place of making is a useful clue, but never proof on its own.

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Disclaimer

This comparison is educational and built from entries still under review. It cannot confirm what a particular object is.