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Samoan, Samoa

Long wrap skirt (lavalava), ca. 1940-1950

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Samoan

Title

Long wrap skirt (lavalava)

Year

ca. 1940-1950

Medium

Beaten bark fiber, freehand painting with cut border

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • bark

Techniques

  • beaten bark cloth,
  • painted

Dimensions

Length: 124.5 cm (49 inches)

Place

Samoa

Type

  • Textiles

Credit

Gift of Captain and Mrs. Robert Chew

Object Number

46.494

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Cloth Without Weaving

November 1, 2000 - February 18, 2001

Slight design variations within the 12 similarly patterned panels add rhythmic movement to this freehand painted composition. The piece appears to have been inspired by nontraditional sources. The 12 panels are reminiscent of striped zebra hide, and the scalloped border could be the tapa­maker's interpretation of European lace edging. Throughout the 20th century, new motifs derived from other cultures entered the visual vocabulary of Pacific barkcloth designers.

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 Long wrap skirt (lavalava) with the accession number of 46.494. 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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