Ceremonial Hanging (palepai)
c. 1900
Medium
Cotton, silk, and silver-leaf-over-lacquered-paper-strip-wrapped bast fiber (probably ramie), plain weave with supplementary patterning and brocading wefts, main warp fringe
Dimensions
220 × 68.8 cm (86 5/8 × 25 1/8 in.)
Classification
textile
Department
Textiles
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
180303
Rights
Public Domain
About this artwork
Known as “ship cloths,” ceremonial hangings like this one typically feature sailing ships and related imagery. In this composition, the large geometric designs depict stylized trees and mark an unusual departure from earlier, more traditional ship designs. Up until the end of the 19th century, these ceremonial textiles—called palepai—were important features in the Lampung province of Indonesia during rites of passage, such as marriage, death, or accession to a higher social rank. Such transition...