- Jacket
- Enlarge image
Jacket
- Place of origin:
Indonesia (made)
- Date:
late 19th or early 20th century (made)
- Museum number:
IS.44-1997
- Gallery location:
In Storage
The couched silver-wrapped thread decorating this boy's jacket suggests Chinese influence, although the black woollen ground fabric has overtones of European military costume, which is echoed in the decoration of the front of the garment. The island of Nias, off the west coast of Sumatra, assimilated some of the finery of the courts of coastal Sumatra, but also had its own unique and elaborate range of ceremonial garments and ornaments. The extended shoulder-line of this jacket is typical of male dress in South Nias, and it would have been worn either on its own or over a long-sleeved jacket, with a loincloth or, more recently, western-style trousers. The jacket is lined with European printed cotton.
