Title
Woman's skirt
Year/Period
Late 19th-early 20th century
Region
Roti, Lesser Sunda Islands
Dimension
Object size: L163 x W61.5 cm
Accession No.
1997-04239
Collection of
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Andy Ng
The striped central section of the women’s skirt, known as ‘pou’, is folded out of sight when worn. The centrefield patterning is filled with motifs which reflect influence from the prestigious Indian silk textiles. Design on Rotinese textiles were impacted by the prestigious Indian silk textiles, which the Dutch once bestowed as tokens of alliance in order to monopolise trade in the region. Some of the design elements on these Indian textiles were appropriated by important families as their prerogative.
