Reviving Chintz

Chintz: a craft of colour by colour

Chintz is hand-block-printed cotton, once produced by pressing wooden blocks onto the fabric colour by colour. Each shade in the pattern requires its own block, carefully carved and applied by hand. This process, in which every layer of dye aligns precisely with the last, makes every piece unique. The technique is centuries old and originated in India, from where this luxurious cotton was traded across the world and prized for its deep colours and exuberant patterns. Via, among others, the Dutch East India Company, chintz found its way into Dutch homes and country houses, where it quickly became a sought-after furnishing fabric, a shared heritage of Dutch and Indian makers and traders.

Inspired by the Rijksmuseum's collection

This collection is inspired by chintz in the Rijksmuseum's collection, including the Fragment of Chintz with Hummingbirds, produced around 1750 on the Coromandel Coast in India. Indigo-blue vines curl across a finely woven ground, interspersed with tulips, carnations and small hummingbirds in red, yellow and pink. The fragment itself is part of the collection but is not on permanent display in the galleries. The pattern lives on at the museum nonetheless: the same chintz features in the museum's famous dolls' house, which is on permanent display at the Rijksmuseum. The new print, developed by Khasto, builds on this tradition of experimentation and exchange, and on the Indian craftsmanship preserved in the Rijksmuseum's collection.

From pillowcase to baby onesie

The chintz collection translates this historic pattern into contemporary products for home and away. Think of a pillowcase and dressing gown for a splash of colour in the bedroom, notebooks in two sizes for those who like to take notes in style, and toiletry bags and a duffle bag as practical travel companions. For the littlest ones, there's a baby onesie, bib and hat: a gift with a story more than 250 years in the making. The collection combines museum-quality beauty with everyday practicality, making it an ideal gift.

Browse the full Rijksmuseum chintz collection in the webshop and bring a piece of chintz history home.