Indonesian Cotton Warp Ikat Woman's Shawl

20th Century

Object
24.75 x 87.5 in. (62.865 x 222.25 cm)

This object has the following keywords:

• Flores - Refers to the style associated with the Flores region in Indonesia. The style features shell and bone carvings, elaborate beadwork, and gilded, gem-encrusted jewelry. The style also incorporates non-indigenous materials such as glass and coral beads into native designs. Head and neck ornaments were often cast in the lost-wax method and depicted motifs of buffalo heads and horns. Monumental sculpture in this style is heavily influenced by religion and features sacrificial altars and sacred megalith structures as well as menhirs, dolmens, and terraced burial mounds. With the introduction of Hinduism and Buddhism, monumental sculpture developed into symbols of Buddha and Shiva. In sculpture, the style reveals a strong wood-carving tradition in which the representation of a mythical dragon-serpent exists as a dominant ornamental and protective symbol.
• ikat - Technique of resist dyeing in which hanks of thread are bound and dyed before being woven into fabric.
• Indonesian - Refers to the cultures and styles of Indonesia, reflecting the blend of various regional cultures from the Southeast Asian mainland and Oceania. The style is generally driven by the philosophies of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam. Sculptural production in the region generally features megalithic monuments such as menhirs, dolmens, stone sarcophagi, terraced burial mounds, large stones carved into the shape of animals and humans, and stone skull troughs. Early styles of sculpture in the region feature smooth planes, convexity, impassive expressions, and lack of movement. Ornamental works from this region imitate Chinese Chou and pre-Han works and feature bronze drums with molded flanges and relief ornamentation consisting of stylized masks with ear piercings. Indian-influenced works feature intricate bronze Buddhas and bodhisattvas. In architecture, the style features temple complexes known as tjandis and candis.

• Object Dimensions: 24.75 x 87.5 in. (62.865 x 222.25 cm)