MFAH Showcases Major Acquisition of Indian Textiles in New Exhibition
‘From India to the World: Textiles from the Parpia Collection’ at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston celebrates the acquisition of 187 Indian textiles from the collection of Banoo and Jeevak Parpia, one of the most comprehensive private collections of Indian textiles outside of India. This show follows the museum’s 2023 installation ‘Woven Wonders: Indian Textiles from the Parpia Collection’.
A broad historical and artistic overview of India’s textile production between the 17th and early 20th centuries is offered, with textiles made for the Indian domestic market and for India’s export trade in Asia and Europe. Indian textiles were among the most widely traded and highly prized goods in international commerce, circulating across Asia and reaching Europe through Portuguese, Dutch and British trade routes. The collection reflects regional techniques and design traditions, showcasing the depth of India’s textile heritage.
Phulkari head cover (bagh) (detail), Punjab, Pakistan, 19th century. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Banoo and Jeevak Parpia Collection, gift of Banoo and Jeevak Parpia
In ‘Bridges Between East and West’, an article in HALI 224, Rosemary Crill guides readers through the show. ‘The exhibition opens with textiles made for use in India—a broad category that encompasses a huge range of textiles from weaving to embroidery and block printing, tie-dye and ikat. All of these techniques are represented, some (for example jamdani weaving and Bengali embroidery), with just one or two examples. Other types, notably phulkari and kantha embroidery, are allocated a whole wall each, reflecting the enthusiasm with which Banoo and Jeevak Parpia have collected these lively domestic embroideries’ (HALI 224, p. 129).
Kantha, Bengal, India, 19th century. Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 2024.704, Banoo and Jeevak Parpia Collection, gift of Banoo and Jeevak Parpia
In the galleries that follow, the show shifts to ‘Textiles beyond India’, where visitors experience exceptional pieces tracing routes from Indonesia and Thailand in the east, to Portugal and the Netherlands in the west, shown through examples such as an imposing ceremonial textile and two floral heirloom cloths. Textiles for the Southeast Asian market display unique patterns created for export pieces that were suited to the tastes of each market.
‘From India to the World: Textiles from the Parpia Collection’ is running until 21 September 2025.
Read more in Rosemary Crill’s article in HALI 224, which can be accessed via a digital subscription to HALI.
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