Object size: 300.0 x 35.0 cm,
Object size: 300.0 x 35.0 cm,
Object size: Please refer to parts
This wedding backdrop is made out of sequin pieces and consists of a main panel (dinding tengah) as well as two fringe panels (tabiran). It is known as kain arguci (also spelt as air guci), with 'arguci' being a reference to the style of embroidery whereby sequin pieces are embroidered to create large-scale decorative motifs upon a piece of silk or satin. Arguci is thought to have originated from the Banjar community in South Kalimantan, Indonesia in the eighteenth-century and is said to have derived from the custom amongst royalty and noblemen of wearing gold, silver and bronze accessories as well as various gemstones as part of their wedding attire. However, the practice of its use also extended to the Banjar community in Singapore, who recall purchasing or renting them from merchants in Singapore and in South Kalimantan. Arguci textiles were initially made with heavy and expensive brass sequin pieces but these were later replaced with plastic sequin pieces in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century from suppliers in Singapore, after it became a free port under the Dutch East Indies Company.
