Title
Shouldercloth
Year/Period
Late 19th-early 20th century
Region
Terengganu, Malay Peninsula
Dimension
Object size: L:185.5 x W:97.3
Accession No.
1997-04201
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andy Ng
A ‘selendang’ or shoulder cloth is a narrow piece of rectangular cloth worn over the shoulder. It has been suggested that the abstract floral designs that surround the cross-shaped motifs and the lozenges represent the stylised double-wing symbol of the garuda, the mount of Vishnu in Hindu mythology. The centrefield was made using songket supplementary weft weave. It features rows of elongated triangles known in Malay as ‘pucuk rebung’ or ‘bamboo shoots’. Such ornamentation was popularised by its usage on Indian trade cloths.
