Island: Sumba

Material: handspun cotton

Condition: superb; mint condition

Circa: 1950

size: 78" x 114"

 

 

Sumba hinggi kombu, Kanantang region; extremely fine hand-spun cotton (except for woven band at each end) with natural dyes; rare, 3-panel construction (virtually all Sumba blankets are of two panels, each a mirror-image of the other); ikat is extremely precise and tight; yellow staining applied.

 

 

 

Commentary

This textile was to be used as a burial piece to honor the Raja of Kanantang who died in the early 1950s. It was woven by his wife, who was born in the RIndi region - an area of Sumba specifically known for their precision in executing ikat designs.

 

The burial finally took place in the early 1970s but the textile was never buried. It was preserved intact and has never been used. This is a classic Sumba ikat weaving of extraordinary quality, craft and condition: there is virtually no "dead" space, the ikat is small, detailed and precise, the thread is of hand-spun cotton and the natural dyes are rich and saturated.

 

ID: SJH-000-I-SUM

SOLD (private collection)