1506 Superb Old Sumba Weaving Lau Wuti Kau

Beautiful Indonesian ceremonial cloth called Lau Witi kau or Lau Wuti Kau

Hand woven on a small loom in natural dyed cotton.

Worn as a tube,  it is decorated with small shells and beads

In the olden days, queens in East Sumba gave these works of art as wedding as wedding gifts or trousseau to their daughters, as a blessing of power of the Marapu. The Marapu is the first deified ancestor of the clan and through his presence through such textiles confers protection. The face of a marapu may never be depicted in the beaded motif on the textile.

Both back and front are decorated extensively.

Age unknown but the shells are estimated to be from the early 1900s and the textile may have been assembled in the early 1900s

Some signs of wear, including fading and slight stains of colours running, a few pulled threads.

Fantastic museum quality ethnographic example  - that is both very rustic as well as very aesthetically pleasing  - perfect for serious collectors

Size: 23.5'' x 23'' (60 x 58 cm)

SIMILAR PIECES:

Honolulu Museum of Art accession 10363.1

National Museum, Jakarta 

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This item has spent a lifetime being used for the purpose of its creation with the original artist/user. Signs of this life lived heartily may be present on the piece in the form of stains, thread loss, loose threads, holes, tears, color run and other imperfections. Therefore the condition must be assumed to be “not” perfect. More photos of such imperfections will be provided on request.

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