Unknown Maker, Samoan

Siapo lavalava

Maker

Unknown Maker, Samoan

Culture

Samoan

Title

Siapo lavalava

Year

late 1800s-mid 1900s

Medium

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

Materials

bark

Geography

Place Made: Samoa

Dimensions

Length: 161.3 cm (63 1/2 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Captain and Mrs. Robert Chew

Object Number

46.490

Type

Exhibition History

Cloth Without Weaving
Beaten Barkcloth of the Pacific Islands
Nov 01, 2000 – Feb 18, 2001

Label copy

Siapo mamanu is the Samoan term for a spontaneous freehand painting method. The entire sheet is divided into pattern blocks. The orientation of the main motif, four elongated triangles, changes in alternate blocks, adding a sense of motion to the composition. The background is o 'a glaze in multiple coats, which provides the barkcloth with a degree of water resistance.

Pacific Islands Tapa Cloth
Jul 17, 1992 – Oct 18, 1992

Image use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use.

In copyright This object is in copyright

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Samoan
Siapo lavalava, late 1800s-mid 1900s
Beaten bark fiber, freehand painting and overall glazing
Length: 161.3 cm (63 1/2 inches)
Gift of Captain and Mrs. Robert Chew 46.490

To request new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.