In the first photo, a detail of the 2nd, you'll see 2 small border stamps. The left is only a few inches long, about 1.5" wide and the other is about 5" long. I'm guessing they would have been used at the border of a piece of fabric.
In the next photo, which includes stamps from both Iran & India, you'll see another border stamp (at the top), along with a pair of triangular stamps, which fit together. (As always, clicking on the photo will give you the largest version available.) They are from Iran, and I'm guess part of a 4 stamp set (as explained in the last post), but we've only got 2. To the right of the photo you can see 4 more triangular stamps, and you can even make out the paint on one of them; I'm guessing it was the red stamp! Again, these amazing, intricately carved pieces would be stamped on fabric, in succession to (slowly) create a 4 color printing process. Not only is the carving painstaking, but it must be hard for the person stamping to get things lined up just right, too.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe7ik9D3IE9r3VvXcYoiQ00ie06p9_XYlXB3S70eRe7J5ncNe_Vpp_Ri_cJSxh4fb_r2w63vM6PpyqoIXpclKgxnoUgFeS8lyNBU3PJj-92dSILoAL2jEhnUj9mCgULa93hwLeOcvZCNU/s320/stamps-iran-india-small.jpg)
The fabric they are laying on is a bedspread from Jaipur. It is batiked (wax resist), and I'm sure a stamp was used for this intricate design that repeats and repeats over a huge queen-sized bedspread without flaw. Which is another interesting way to think about fabric stamps--not as adding color, but as preventing additional color to be added!
I've been thinking of buying a couple of stamps in a style similar to these. What paint/ink would you recommend? I can't wait to see what you make with yours.
ReplyDeleteYadira, thanks for the comment. We've never tried them! However, I think that water based would be good, then getting the ink off ASAP when you're done. And don't let them sit in the paint. But I really don't know. I never saw anyone actually using them.
ReplyDeleteLet me know what happens when you try yours. Where did you get them?