1843 Antique Iban Ceremonial Ikat with Striking Anthropomorphic Figures

Antique Iban Ceremonial Ikat Pua Kumbu with Striking Colors & Figures

Among the Iban, textiles are treasured as they are more than just objects made of fibre.

In some cultures, such as the Iban, textiles have played a major, if not central role, in all the ceremonies surrounding the important events in life. Power structures among women are based on dyeing and weaving skills. Perhaps the most important materials owned by families were textiles.

This Iban Ikat is estimated to be from the mid 1900s and is in excellent condition.

Ikat textiles are among the hardest to make, as the tie-dye is done on the unwoven threads before they are woven into cloth. So with a design in the weaver's imagination, the thread is dyed in sections as per the pattern that is required to be created. This takes immense precision and calculation. So when we note that these textiles were made decades ago in the rainforests of Borneo & Sarawak, there is a sense of awe for the creators.

The superb colors and the large striking figures make it a perfect piece for a wall hanging.

Note the 16 figures  - 8 men and 8 women. The women have dangle jewelry on their arms.

The use of dark brown / black selvedge borders along with the dark colors in the field makes it a striking piece that will make it's presence felt in any room.

73 cm x 167 cm

 CLICK TO SEE THE COMPLETE COLLECTION OF IKAT PUA KUMBU 

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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