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Probably Samoan, Probably Samoa

Hanging, 1900s

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Probably

Title

Hanging

Year

1900s

Medium

Beaten bark fiber, design rubbed on over pattern board, additional freehand painting

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • bark

Techniques

  • beaten bark cloth,
  • painted

Dimensions

Length: 134.6 cm (53 inches)

Place

Probably; Samoa

Type

  • Textiles

Credit

Gift of Daphne Peabody Murray

Object Number

82.289.25

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Cloth Without Weaving

November 1, 2000 - February 18, 2001

The surface design of this barkcloth was applied using a combination of techniques. The light­brown pattern was applied by rubbing the white tapa surface over a carved pattern board with a pad of old tapa dipped in dye. The design was transferred to the tapa wherever the barkcloth was in contact with the carved pattern board. Freehand painting with a darker dye was then used to highlight selected areas of the rubbed design. The technique, color scheme, and motifs of this piece indicate Samoan manufacture. Since the 1970s, sheets of barkcloth this size decorated with pattern boards have become the main type of tapa produced in Western Samoa for domestic use as well as for sale to tourists.

Pacific Islands Tapa Cloth

July 17 - October 18, 1992

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in Copyright. This object is Hanging with the accession number of 82.289.25. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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