1810 Antique Dayak Pua Pilih Kantuk Textile Borneo

Superfine Dayak Pua Pilih from Kantuk area village

The artwork created by the unique weaving process is one in which the motifs on both, the front and the back of the cloth are identical with the exception that the foreground thread becomes the background and vice versa.

In Dayak tradition, weavings are mediums to connect to the spirit world and in this weaving the strong motifs suggest high potency.

Compared to other Pua Pilihs this is finely woven as the number of motifs is much higher and the size of each motif is smaller.

Lizard, bird, turtle and stylised human motifs all over.

Rare monumental textile.

Estimated to be from the early 1900s

Has holes and damage and needs repairs and cleaning

Similar examples may be found in the book "Textiles from Borneo"

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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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