1572 Vintage Laotian Silk WeavingTextile Art

Ravishing Vintage Ceremonial Silk Textile from Laos

Rich traditional silk with superfine weaving that may be used as a personal style accessory or home decor accent.

Beautiful sober muted palette

Beautifully woven to create a dense pattern all over the textile, we see the Phii Nyak, or the Giant Spirit, that is revered as a protective guardian. 

An analysis of the motifs shows

• Khom-Sonh (diamond): Dominant framework
• Hong birds: Clear and frequent
• Phii nyak: Present (integrated guardians)
• Siho: Likely but abstract
• Sun (Dork Tawaan): Present
• Naga: Possibly suggested in bands

The number of colors of supplementary silk thread used in the weaving composition directly impacts the complexity of the mechanics of weaving it - the more colors used the longer it takes to weave it. In this gorgeous textile 4 colors have been used all over the piece!

The silk is not easy to photograph perfectly - so do ask for more photos if in doubt.

Will be perfect as a wall hanging but was originally meant as a wrap / stole.

Superb piece with heavy silk that has softened with age.

56cm x 292 cm

Estimated to be from the 1960s-1970s

MY NOTES:

The finesse of Laotian weavings is seen through aspects

1) the number of color used & the frequency of change of color 

2) the size of the motifs as this demands some change at the time of weaving. A with a figure that is 20 cm long will demand a little less attention during weaving than 2 figures that are 10 cm each or 4 figures that are 5 cm each. 

3) the degree of intermeshing of different motifs makes for a more complex drawing plan overall. For instance, a row of figures placed next to each other, is easier to weave than a figure intermeshed with a triangle that spills over from a different row. 

So on the face of it, all Laotian textiles look similar until a closer examination reveals these nuances. 

***

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.

***