Pattern in textiles suddenly appeared at Angkor as if by a sorcerer’s magic. Sūryavarman II brought it in, early in the 12th century; we see it on the walls of his temples.
With a research grant from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (Karun Thakar Fund), I traced this early brocade. At Angkor, I compiled a photographic record of the fifty patterns most worn by the elite of the royal court. Then, I flew to India and found the source. This brocade - and many of the old patterns - is still made today, in India, and in Cambodia.
191 pages, 215 color photographs, all original research.
Latest edition - April, 2026.
As so often happens in research, what one finds is not what one expected. Patterns from six of the world’s great civilizations found their way into Khmer ikat. And some of those patterns are more than four thousand years old.
This book was made possible by a grant from the Victoria and Albert Museum, London (Karun Thakar Fund).
160 pages, 210 color photographs, all original research.
Latest edition - April, 2026.