Chintz: Indian Cotton Textiles from the Karun Thakar Collection, Karun Thakar

Chintz: Indian Cotton Textiles from the Karun Thakar Collection assembles over 200 exquisite printed and painted cotton fabrics from one of the world’s foremost private collections. Spanning from the 14th to the 20th century, the book examines how Indian chintz has shaped global trade, aesthetics, and textile culture—its spread to Sri Lanka, Japan and Europe underlines both its artistry and wide impact.

Richly illustrated with some 300 colour plates, the volume features essays by leading curators and scholars—especially from the Victoria & Albert Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art—who explore technique, pattern, and the interplay of local tradition and external demand. For designers, historians and makers, it offers deep visual inspiration and archival insight into chintz’s enduring legacy.

About the Author
Karun Thakar is a distinguished collector and researcher whose decades of work have focused on Indian textiles and printed cottons. Over thirty years he’s assembled a collection that is not only visually splendid but also rich in objects that tell untold stories of domestic use and material culture.

Publication date: November 2025
Publisher: ACC Art Books
Pages: 300
ISBN: 9781788843454

Dimensions: 30 x 3.56 x 34 cm