1983 Rare Museum Quality Antique Palepai Sumatran Textile with Double Ship design

Rare Palepai Ship Cloth Weaving with Double Ship design

Motifs of men, ships, dragons and more, laid out as two ships side-by-side.

Palepai cloths are rarer than Tampans as these family heirlooms were handed down to the head of the household, while Tampans were created for every son's family unit. So within an extended family, there could be only 1 Palepai but the number of Tampans could run into dozens.

Further, examples of weavings with double-ships are extremely rare.

Note the close-up shots of the back - which is where the yarn reveals itself. The unevenness of thread size and the weaving suggest rustic and aged origins.

Such cloths were not used as much as their smaller square counterparts.

Estimated to be from the mid 1800s or earlier.

Good condition. 

315 x 61 cm (10' 4" x 2')

 Similar example on Sotheby's:Link

 
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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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