Citation
Songket textile

Material Information

Title:
Songket textile
Series Title:
Objects of instruction : treasures of SOAS
Donor:
Donated in 1998 by Datin Seri Dr. Siti Hasmah, the wife of the then Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.
Place of Publication:
Malaysia
Publication Date:
Materials:
Silk with silver and gold threads. ( medium )
Measurements:
L180 x W82 cm in

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Songket ( lcsh )
Textiles ( lcsh )
Tekstil
Spatial Coverage:
Asia -- Malaysia
Coordinates:
3.14309 x 101.68653

Notes

Abstract:
The Songket of Malaysia and Indonesia takes its name from the Malay menyongket, ‘embroidered with gold or silver threads’. The base cloth is often silk, with contrast in colour and texture provided by the supplementary weft pattern in metallic threads. The geometric weft ‘floats’ are woven over three to seven warp threads, and often form the end borders of a length of cloth such as a shawl or selendang. The origins of Songket are not clear, although its popularity on both coasts of the Malaysian peninsula points to exchange networks east and west, with silk from China or India, via maritime polities in Sumatra. (Text by John T. Carpenter and Yoshiko Yasumura, from the exhibition catalogue: Objects of instruction : treasures of the School of Oriental and African Studies, Anna Contadini, Editor. London : SOAS, University of London, 2007.) ( en )
General Note:
The 'Objects of instruction : the treasures of SOAS' exhibition was funded through a generous gift from the Foyle Foundation and with the support of the Arts & Humanities Research Council.
General Note:
Source: A. Contadini (ed.), Objects of instruction : treasures of the School of Oriental and African Studies. London : SOAS, University of London, 2007. Listed as item number: 43

Record Information

Source Institution:
SOAS, University of London
Holding Location:
Brunei Gallery
Rights Management:
All applicable rights reserved by the source institution and holding location.