Tapis (Garment) (1800s): Art, History and Details

Tapis (Garment) (1800s) is in the Cleveland Museum of Art collection.

The work and its context

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

"Tapis" from central and southern Sumatra combine warp ikat with embroidery. The angular, geometric designs of the warp ikat can be traced back to the bronze age culture of China. During the first millennium B.C., elements of that culture spread to Indonesia where they survived in remote areas well into the 20th century. Completely different are the mysterious, curvilinear forms of the embroidered bands. Some of these have become too abstracted to identitfy; but others can be recognized as human figures wearing the feathered and horned headdresses of head-hunting rituals. Embroidery designs were presented by a man to his prospective bride, and their motifs were inspired by activities specifically performed by men, such as wood carving, metalwork, and headhunting.

Object facts

• Title: Tapis (Garment)
• Date: 1800s
• Culture: Indonesia, Sumatra, Lampung, 19th century
• Type: Textile
• Technique: tabby weave, warp ikat; cotton / embroidery; silk
• Dimensions: Overall: 130.2 x 117.8 cm (51 1/4 x 46 3/8 in.)
• Collection: Textiles
• Department: Textiles
• Accession number: 1983.215

Collection credit

Dudley P. Allen Fund

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.