Ghalamkar



Hand-printed cloth can be seen everywhere in Iran (and you will also find them in Kuwait in the Iranian Market in Ray or downtown, in the Souq Mubarakia). They are used as bedspreads, tablecloths, or simply for wall decoration. Wooden blocks, or models, are used to print colored patterns onto beige cotton cloth in several design steps.



The finest ghalamkar may later be painted. Old and antique pieces are highly sought after. They are not cheap at all. Although the (natural) colors have been fastened by washing already, I wouldn’t dare to remove the slight stain from these two pieces I recently bought in Iran. One has the design of a prayer mat and was surely used for that purpose. As you can see, the calligraphy on top interestingly mentions Muhammad after ’Ali!









Comments

Dogmatic Pragmatist said…
Hi, I have one of these, Isfahan is spelled in older Persian style as opposed to modern spelling. Can you tell me approximate value?

Thanks

Gerry (Canada)
2 July 2011 at 23:13
Muller said…
Hi Gerry,
I suppose, it depends. They sell a lot of crap, of course. I paid for the two nicer (and older) pieces around $300.

Best,
Fahad
3 July 2011 at 08:37
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