Brian Stephenson Fine Art

Indonesian Tribal Art

Kroe Tampan

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South Sumatra Kroe ceremonial cloth (Tampan)


Item-Description:South Sumatra Kroe ceremonial cloth (Tampan)
Medium:Cotton, hand spun, natural dyes
Origin:South Sumatra - Kroe
Dimensions:66 (h) x 61 (w) cm
Age:19th century
Provenance:Collected South Sumatra 1980
Condition:Very good, no damage or repairs to body, minor damage to edging, minor staining consistent with use and age
Notes:General: Tampan are unique and unusual ritual cloths from the Kroe people living in the Lampung area of South Sumatra. They are created by applying a supplementary weft on a plain cotton weave and coloured using natural dyes. They are generally square in shape.

Tampan cloths were exchanged between Kroe families to consecrate ritual occasions especially those involving major life transitions such as birth, circumcision, courtship, marriage and death. Their use was both spiritual and symbolic but they were also used as wrappings for gifts such as money or food. The ship (a symbol of transition) is a common element in a large number of Tampan. They also commonly exhibit horizontal mirror symmetry, created so that when the cloth is placed over an object as a cover, folded along the horizontal axis, the picture appears correctly oriented in the upward direction on both sides.

Specific: This four cornered symmetrical Tampan, in blue dyes, depicts the mythical long necked sea monster or Naga.

Price: £320