Ceremonial Textile (Maa')

Ceremonial Textile (Maa')

1800s
Artist
Toraja artist
Culture
Toraja Culture
Locale
Sulawesi
Country
Indonesia
Object
hanging
Medium
Printed and painted cotton
Accession Number
1992.95
Credit Line
Neusteter Textile Collection: Funds from the Marie Therese Macy Estate

Toraja artist, Ceremonial Textile (Maa'), 1800s. Cotton; printed and painted; 141 in x 34 3/4 in. Neusteter Textile Collection at the Denver Art Museum: Funds from the Marie Therese Macy Estate, 1992.95.

Dimensions
length: 141 in, 358.14 cm; width: 34 3/4 in, 88.265 cm
Department
Avenir Institute of Textile Arts and Fashion
Collection
Textile Arts and Fashion-Asian
This object is currently on view
The design of this textile--a flowering, sinuous tree springing up form an earth mound--reflects that of imported Indian palampores. The tree image, which occurs in both Indian and Indonesian religions and myths, is significant to both cultures. The Toraja call certain large, rectangular foreign and indigenous cloths with this and other patterns maa': sacred and powerful objects for display at specific rituals. As the owners convert to Christianity, they sometimes decide to sell these textiles.
Known Provenance
Purchased in Indonesia by Mary Hunt Kahlenberg [Textile Art, Inc., Santa Fe, NM]; purchased April 1992 from Mary Hunt Kahlenberg Textile Art, Inc. by the Denver Art Museum
Exhibition History
  • "Inspiration and Imagination: Cross-Cultural Influences in the Textile Arts," May 16 - October 18, 1998 (DAM)