Title
Ceremonial cloth
Year/Period
19th century
Region
Lampung, South Sumatra
Dimension
Object size: L:68cm * W:68cm
Accession No.
1997-04368
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andy Ng
This ceremonial cloth or ‘tampan’ depicts four rows of elephants in mirror image. It has been suggested that elephants, rather than buffalos, appeared on textiles as a symbol of might in coastal societies which were involved in trade instead of agriculture. 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.
