Beginning in the 17th century, Portuguese, Dutch, and British merchants bartered for spices and traveled vast distances to obtain Indian fabrics. And no wonder. The textiles they encountered—vibrant patterned cottons, delicate court silks, intricately woven ikats—were the products of highly sophisticated techniques. Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts recently acquired the collection of Banoo and Jeevak Parpia, who live in Ithaca, New York, and amassed one of the most significant private textile holdings outside India. The museum now features 80 of those pieces, from the 14th to the early–20th century, in the exhibition “Woven Wonders.” —Elena Clavarino