Catalog (18)

East Flores, Ili Mandiri, Bama, Lamaholot people, 1920 – 1940

Handspun cotton, natural morinda and indigo dyes, warp ikat

Woven in handspun cotton with fine 3-colour ikat bands on a mangosteen red ground, this kewatek méan (woman’s red cloth) is the most prestigious type of the ceremonial cloths made for marriage gift exchanges. It is fully covered in ikat bands executed on an overdyed dark purplish ground, the widest bearing a detailed lozenge motif within ...

Indonesia Java, Banyumas, mid 20th century

Commercial cotton and dyes, hand-drawn batik (tulis)

A dramatic ceremonial square that contrasts the cherry red square diamond (tengahan) reserved in the center with a surrounding hand-drawn design of diagonal bands alternating between rows of parang klitik (small broken knife), and an organic flow of leaves and butterflies. Overlaying the diagonal bands are ground plants with large red flowers. The geometr...

Indonesia Java, Banyumas, 1920 – 1940

Commercial cotton, natural dyes, hand-drawn batik (tulis)

A graphic breast wrapper (kemben) hand-drawn with a distinctive batik pattern in the town of Banyumas in central Java. The striking ceremonial format contrasts the deep red elongated diamond reserved in the center with a surrounding batik design of natural motifs (a type of pattern called lung-lungan), in classic Banyumas colours of dark indigo and man...

Java, Solo / Lasem / Pekalongan, 1950s

A fine waistcloth (kain panjang) hand-drawn separately in Solo, Lasem, and Pekalongan to create a beautiful design that blends their 3 distinct styles. The sparkling blue leaves, petals and birds drawn and dyed in Pekalongan are filled with fine, feathery patterns, enhancing the richness of the design; the vivid red leaves and flower centres drawn and dyed in Lasem have bold, dramatic white designs; and the warm, golden-brown soga...

Dowry cloth, pillow cover

Rajasthan, Jaisalmer, Sindh people, Mahar group, 20th century

Hand woven cotton, cotton and silk floss, mirrors, khaarek, interlacing and jat embroidery

A highly decorative squarish piece of lavish embroidery on handwoven red cotton, pieced from three pieces of cloth (see image 2 for the joins). Its design consists of a central square surrounded by 8 squares, all patterned with khaarek silk embroidery in differ...

Indonesia, Bali, Tenganan Pageringsingan, Bali Aga people, mid 20th century

Handspun cotton, natural dyes, warp and weft ikat

Description: A fine example of the renowned double ikat (geringsing) sacred textiles woven in the village of Tenganan Pageringsingan in east Bali. The piece is woven in loose tabby from handspun cotton yarns dyed in botanical indigo and morinda to produce the characteristic muted colors of rust red, eggshell, and black-violet. The design ...

Indonesia, central Sulawesi, Galumpang district, 1970s

Handspun cotton, natural and commercial dyes, warp ikat

A graphic funeral shroud (sekomandi) made by the Toraja people in the Galumpang district of Sulawesi, with an ikat pattern in the natural cotton colour, blue, and deep blue-black on a terracotta red ground. The piece is sewn together from 2 identical panels joined together along the selvedges. Its design of interlocking motifs is one of the classic ancie...

Hip wrapper (kain panjang)

Indonesia, Sumatra, Jambi, early 20th century

Commercial cotton, natural dyes, hand-drawn (tulis) and hand-stamped (cap) batik

A batik hipcloth most probably made in Jambi, Sumatra, with a classic Jambi design of a grid of larger and smaller rosettes in cream on an organic red ground, highlighted with dark blue spots. The decorative end sections with large triangular tumpal are in contrasting colours: c...

Pou dula nggeo no dula penis (tubeskirt with “black” and “cross” motifs)

Indonesia, Rote island, 1920s

Handspun cotton, natural dyes, warp ikat

An early tubeskirt (pou) woven on the small island of Rote in handspun cotton with a complex series of fine floral-geometric ikat motifs inspired by the Indian patola trade cloths. The skirt is atypical, in being shorter and wider than usual, without the conventional striped center portion. It ...

Coffin cover or hanging

Indonesia, Sumatra, Bengkulu, c. 1940

Commercial cotton and dye, hand-drawn batik (tulis)

A graphic dark blue Batik Tulisan Arab hand-drawn with the hallmark design of the genre of zoomorphic calligraphic figures. 3 squares containing calligraphic script are each surrounded by four birds that seem to be formed by the coalescing of the calligraphy. Large and imposing, they are drawn with vigorous expressive strokes, with wing ...

Indonesia, Java, Solo / Lasem / Pekalongan, 1950 - 1960

A fine waistcloth (kain panjang) hand-drawn separately in Solo, Lasem, and Pekalongan to create a rich, dramatic design that blends their 3 distinct styles. The sparkling blue petals and swans drawn in Pekalongan are filled with different tiny patterns, enhancing the richness of the design; the warm, golden soga brown bands drawn in Solo have soft cream dots (cocohan) that represent rice seedlings, thus mak...

Indonesia, Java, Pekalongan, 1930 - 1960

Hand-drawn (tulis) batik, synthetic dyes

A fine waistcloth hand-drawn in Pekalongan on the north coast of Java, in a format called pagi soré, i.e. “morning / evening”: the cloth is bisected along a diagonal line, each half decorated with a different pattern, thus giving the wearer a choice of 2 waistcloths depending on which half was shown on the outside. One half has two and half repeats of a large bouquet of ...

Indonesia, West Timor, Amanatun Utara, Ayotupas area, 3rd quarter of 20th century

Handspun cotton base, natural indigo, commercial cotton and dyes, discontinuous supplementary weft wrapping (buna), alternating warp-faced float weave (sotis)

Description: A showpiece textile made from 4 panels, carrying in the outer 2 panels an extraordinary graphic design of red / white buna anthropomorphs, whose strong lines stand out in a riot of dense colors. Set ...

Indonesia, East Sumba, Rende, before 1970

Handspun cotton, natural dyes, warp ikat, surface painting, twining

A gorgeous men’s mantle (hinggi) from Rende in east Sumba, woven with a rich variety of creatures in red, blue and yellow-brown warp ikat. The textile is made from 2 long mirroring panels joined together along the selvedge. Its motifs are arranged in 4 bands, also mirrored on either side of the central section of large flowers. The main motifs are simil...

West Timor, Insana, Manufui, 1950s

Handspun cotton, natural indigo dye, warp ikat, commercial coloured thread (pinstripes), twining

Description: An elegant vintage men’s cloth (beti) from the area around the market town of Manufui in Insana, renowned for its ikat roosters that are the finest birds woven in West Timor, with detailed eyes, beaks, feet, and elaborate tail feathers and wings. The textile is constructed from two identical panels sewn together along...

Sumatra, Batak people, Toba, Silindung, c. 1930

Commercial cotton, natural and commercial dyes, warp ikat, continuous supplementary warp weaving

A single dark rose red panel, the centrefield containing white chevron ikat on blue-black, interspaced by plain stripes of white and a lighter red. Pinstripes in dark maroon, yellow and white supplementary warp line each of the primary stripes, creating a delicate rhythm. The plain side panels are marked off by groups of pinstr...

East Sumba, Kanatang, 2nd half of 20th century

Commercial cotton, natural indigo dye, warp ikat

A headcloth (tiara) woven with large white ikat figures on an indigo ground. The design places a large squid or cuttlefish at the centre, flanked by mirroring pairs of sea-horses and chickens on each side. Small geometric motifs enliven the ground, and spots of lighter blue create a three-dimensional effect of an “under” layer—especially beautiful is the way thes...

Borneo, Sarawak, 1920 - 1940

Commercial cotton, warp ikat, alternating warp-faced float weave, natural dyes

A large Iban woman’s skirt, woven in deep brown, brick-red and ecru ikat. The design is exceptionally detailed, consisting of elaborate rhomb motifs, interspaced by sets of coils whose organic form contrasts with the geometric rhombs. Fine feathery dark lines filling up the intervening spaces are an unusual feature which create a soft delicate effect not general...