This skirt cloth was once used for a wedding ceremony and comes from the royal palace at Luang Prabang in Laos. It was collected by a French diplomat between 1830 and 1869. The textile itself comprises three pieces. The top section ties around the waist and is made of a cotton and silk mix. It would have been changed regularly due to wear and tear on the fabric during use. The centre of the textile is made of silk with zigzag, diamond and eight-point star, and flower motifs. The warp threads are dyed indigo blue. The sections with ikat decoration have a green weft, while those without decoration have indigo blue weft yarns. The lowest section is embellished with continuous supplementary weft threads that were wrapped with metal.

Asian Art Department, AGNSW, December 2011