Comparing versions of the Sanskrit Cloth from Temple of Doom

[Lightning]

I didn't want to bump a 14 year old thread, Indiana Jones Screen Used Sanskrit Cloth Temple of Doom so I'm starting a new one.

I've seen it said there were 2 versions of the cloth, but there are actually (at least) 3. It's different in each of its 3 appearances. With the new 4K screencaps we can finally get a good look at the one from the secret passage. It's a clear match for the one in the Star Wars to Indiana Jones book.

The one from the Isberg collection that's been auctioned is clearly supposed to be the one from the Archive book. It's either a good forgery or the paint started flaking off and someone touched it up. You can see 2 dots from the text are missing, an unlikely omission for a forgery. The mans face and Shiva's crown being the most obvious changes. The text is a really good match when overlayed in photoshop.

 

[Krats]

Thanks for the pics, this looks like a fascinating area of research. From what you've shown here I'd say you are entirely correct that the Archive book and Hidden Passage Scene Cloths match well.

To my eye the last three pics (Isberg, PIH, Ebay) look like good matches for each other, but fail to match any of the preceding pics. For me, the stand out difference lies in the folds of the bottom of the man's robe. The edges of the Isberg cloth are also a lot flatter, like they haven't been crushed in storage for years. Tough to flatten out that kind of wear without leaving a mark.

 

[AvZ]

I would say the last three are the same piece and that it was made to replicate the one in the Archive. If it had looked more like any on screen there could be a doubt, but a forger/replicator would use the best source at hand and that is the Archive photo. So the fact it looks similar like the Archive one is a huge red flag.

 

[Lightning]

I would say the last three are the same piece and that it was made to replicate the one in the Archive. If it had looked more like any on screen there could be a doubt, but a forger/replicator would use the best source at hand and that is the Archive photo. So the fact it looks similar like the Archive one is a huge red flag.

I agree, I've stared at it for a while now and did some more overlay comparisons, and too much doesn't match. The smoking gun is that there is less cloth damage on the Isberg piece, than the archive piece. This is most obvious along the top edge and under the character next to Shivas' elbow. And the thread itself looks finer, it's a completely different fabric. I'm thinking a powerful light table was used to trace everything through the cloth. That means the missing dots on the text were a deliberate omission, perhaps because the original creator didn't intend it to be passed off as real.

I'd say it could be another production made piece, except we can see the other versions aren't anywhere near so close to matching each other, so it has to be a replica/fake.

 

[parfaitelumiere]

Agreed.