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Indonesian Minangkabau, Sumatra

Shoulder cloth (selendang), used as headdress, 1950

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Indonesian

Title

Shoulder cloth (selendang), used as headdress

Year

1950

Medium

Silk, metal threads; supplementary weft patterning, bobbin lace

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • silk,
  • metallic yarn

Dimensions

Length: 298.5 cm (117 1/2 inches)

Place

Sumatra

Type

  • Textiles

Credit

Museum Purchase: Gift of Paula and Leonard Granoff and Helen M. Danforth Acquisition Fund

Object Number

2003.40.1

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

Zone of Attraction

June 26 - December 6, 2009

These Sumatran textiles exemplify the island's extensive range of textile techniques and materials, including metal thread, which is prominent in Sumatra. The Toba Batak waist cloth is a fine example of the subtle use of metal thread to render additional patterns on top of the fine-warp ikat arrowhead pattern. Extra fine metal threads supplemental to the cloth depict the hornbill motif that is ubiquitous throughout indigenous cultures. The long vertical cloths shown here are worn as headdresses by women who wrap the yardage around the top of the head with upswept corners, like points or horns. The aesthetic relates to roofs on houses while also paying homage to the horns of the water buffalo.

In the Spirit of Miss Lucy

June 11 - October 31, 2004

It is thought that the Minangkabau came to Indonesia many centuries ago from mainland Southeast Asia. The geometric and stylized floral designs of their traditional textiles certainly reflect the textile arts of the Malaysian, Khmer, and Tai peoples.

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 Shoulder cloth (selendang), used as headdress with the accession number of 2003.40.1. 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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