Ceremonial Cloth
late 19th century (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This ceremonial cloth with an elephant-and-tiger design was woven in India for the Indonesian market. Known as a ‘patolu’ (pl. ‘patola’), this type of woven silk was a speciality of Gujarati weavers and involved a highly sophisticated technique. They had to tie and dye the warp and weft threads in patterns and then weave them together to create a pattern on both sides of the cloth.
In Indonesia ‘patola’ were intended for use by the elite. They were worn by members of the nobility, and at times subject to court sumptuary laws prohibiting their use by commoners.
In Indonesia ‘patola’ were intended for use by the elite. They were worn by members of the nobility, and at times subject to court sumptuary laws prohibiting their use by commoners.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Materials and techniques | Resist-dyed double ikat silk, cotton |
| Brief description | Ceremonial cloth (patola) of resist-dyed double ikat silk with striped cotton borders, Gujarat, late 19th century |
| Physical description | Ceremonial cloth (patola) of resist-dyed double ikat silk with striped cotton borders. With a repeating design of rows alternating with tigers and elephants within a grid. The ends have a row of diamond shapes, and another with triangular tumpals. Loose and open weave. |
| Dimensions |
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| Gallery label |
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| Production | Made for the Indonesian market. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Summary | This ceremonial cloth with an elephant-and-tiger design was woven in India for the Indonesian market. Known as a ‘patolu’ (pl. ‘patola’), this type of woven silk was a speciality of Gujarati weavers and involved a highly sophisticated technique. They had to tie and dye the warp and weft threads in patterns and then weave them together to create a pattern on both sides of the cloth. In Indonesia ‘patola’ were intended for use by the elite. They were worn by members of the nobility, and at times subject to court sumptuary laws prohibiting their use by commoners. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | IS.5-1989 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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