Wearing Cloth (1900–1950): Art, History and Details

Wearing Cloth (1900–1950) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

The museum's open-access catalogue describes the work:

The small pattern of rosettes in the main field, the selvage borders, and the tumpal (triangle) border are characteristic of the gold, silver, and red silk cloths woven in the Palembang region. Sumptuous silks of this type were only made in the eastern coastal cities of Sumatra that maintained active trade with China and India. Not only were the silk, gold, and silver threads imported, but the elements of the design were derived from Indian patola (warp and weft ikat) silks. Traditionally, cloths like this were worn for ceremonial occasions and were also used in the exchange of gifts required on the occasion of a wedding.

Object facts

• Title: Wearing Cloth
• Date: 1900–1950
• Culture: Indonesia, Sumatra, Palembang, 1st half 20th century
• Type: Textile
• Technique: tabby weave; silk brocaded with silk and metallic threads
• Dimensions: Overall: 203.2 x 94.6 cm (80 x 37 1/4 in.)
• Collection: Textiles
• Department: Textiles
• Accession number: 1955.307

Collection credit

Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Frank E. Brown

View the collection record

See the museum's photographs and full catalogue entry. Catalogue text is reproduced from the Cleveland Museum of Art's open-access data, with HTML formatting removed. This object and its supplied image are designated CC0.