Sampler Diary, Land of the Sea

Chintzes

Last year in an embroidery course I learned a technique to work (embroidery) fabric. I experienced a bit and painted some cotton with red textile paint. I associated the result that arose with Chintz fabrics from Asia. In the 18th century the Dutch VOC imported those from India to Holland.

In that time those fabrics were quite fashionable in Holland. In Hindeloopen for example, a town in the North of the Netherlands, these Chintz were incorporated in the local folk costume for centuries.

In Holland were multiple VOC harbors situated along our coasts, from which the ships took of. The VOC Chamber Zeeland was one of them. From Middelburg they crossed the oceans towards Asia.

Sea-poles in Zeeland

Me myself I’m born in Zeeland province. As a child I often walked along the coast near Middelburg with my grandparents, who lived there all their lives. I played along the wooden sea-poles, they formed a protective seawall for our country, that’s situated below sea-level. The sea-poles often were in decay, rotted away by the salty water.

In this sampler I connected the beauty ánd the ugliness of our past. Referring to the splendidness of Chintz fabrics ánd the decay of Asia, as a result of the VOC doing business there for centruries. My personal background, being Dutch and being born at Zeeland, inspired me.

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