Man dyeing cloth. 19th-century artwork from India showing a dyer (top) dipping cloths into dye pots being heated on a fire. A range of natural plant and animal dye materials have been used in India since ancient times. The cloth is immersed in the dye and brought to the boil. A range of equipment and dyed cloths are shown at bottom, including a weighing balance and weights. This opaque watercolour, in the Kashmir style, dates from the 1850s