Object size: 364.0 x 236.0 x 0.6 cm
The textile is said to be a ceremonial canopy from Palopo, South Sulawesi, with hand-drawn iconographies and writings in Jawi script. It is dated 1313 Hijri (1895/6 C.E.) as written on the textile. Some of the writings are readable as some Malay words are used but it is still difficult to fully read all the inscriptions as some words are unrecognizable in Malay. It is likely that the writings also use a mixture of local Sulawesi language and dialect. This canopy is likely used in funerary ritual. It is a very intriguing cross between a painted textile and an illustrated manuscript. Some of the iconographies are recognizable to be derived from a number of iconographical sources commonly used in Islamic manuscripts, such as the architectural forms. Some other iconographies seem to draw from pre-Islamic system as can be seen in the inclusion of the naga (serpent) and buffalo.
