On October 19th John Gillow delivered his lecture on the Kantha Quilts of Bengal to a full house.

The lecture was delivered in style as John was presented a turban cloth and cap from Afghanistan by introducer Jo O'Callaghan. Jo once had to drive a jeep in Kabul while wearing the turban (and a false beard) when she was working as a nurse.

John presented a finely tuned lecture looking at the origins of design elements in kantha quilts and explaining their genesis in folk-art traditions and religious ideas. He also looked at the materials that made up the quilts - everything from worn dhotis to Manchester shirting yardage.



Our fundraiser for the Maiwa Foundation was a very generous donation by Ros Aylmer of a contemporary Kantha Quilt. The quilt features scenes from daily life including school children attending classes.


The next lecture is Eric Broug on October 26, Marvels and Wonders: Geometric Design in Cairo during the Mamluk Sultanate. Full description is available here.