Unknown Artist
- Title
- Man's headcloth ('ikat kepala'; 'tengkuluk')
- Place of origin
-
Palembang →
Sumatra →
Indonesia
- Cultural origin
- Malay people
- Year
- 20th century
- Media category
- Textile
- Materials used
- silk, gold metallic thread, natural dyes; weft 'ikat', supplementary weft weave
- Dimensions
-
88.8 x 87.6cm [weft x warp]
- Signature & date
- Not signed. Not dated.
- Credit
- Bequest of Alex Biancardi 2000
- Accession number
- 255.2000
- Copyright
- © Copyright reserved
- Location
- Not on display
- Further information
Headcloths were worn by men throughout coastal Sumatra. This beautiful example of a Palembang headcloth combines a weft ikat ('limar') with a supplementary weft woven in gold thread ('songket'). The central field design is based on a patola pattern - a variation on the eight-petalled lotus design in shades of blue, green, purple, off white and red. This headcloth is indicative of the 'refinement' of dress, social and ritual pursuits, under the influence of Islam.
Asian Art Department, AGNSW, August 2000
- Bibliography (3)
-
Robyn Maxwell (Australia) (Author), Textiles of Southeast Asia : tradition, trade and transformation, Canberra, 1990.
Mattiebelle Gittinger (United States of America) (Author), Splendid symbols: textiles and tradition in Indonesia, Singapore, 1990.
Mary Hunt Kahlenberg (United States of America) (Author), Textile traditions of Indonesia, Los Angeles, 1977.
- Exhibition history (1)
-
Symbols and Ceremonies: Indonesian Textile Traditions, Art Gallery of New South Wales, 13 Apr 2006–28 May 2006.
