Title
Ceremonial cloth
Year/Period
19th century
Region
Lampung, South Sumatra
Dimension
Object size: L:70.4cm * W:68.9cm
Accession No.
1997-04387
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andy Ng
This ceremonial cloth or ‘tampan’ depicts a ship carrying two large creatures with diamond patterning on their bodies and fanciful tails. Ancestor or deity figures are also distributed amidst geometric patterns. In the centerfold of the tampan, there is a highly stylised house-like structure, which might represent an ancestor shrine, a common motif found on tampans. Such ceremonial cloths could be used as gifts, covers for ritual offerings or pillows for the deceased. It is normally woven using the supplementary weft technique, where additional horizontal threads create patterns over the top of the ground weave.
