**First Time At Auction**

Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Southern Sumatra, Lampung region, ca. 19th century CE. A handwoven tampan textile with a symmetrical motif embroidered on the beige cotton panel. The brocading threads are dyed in navy blue and ochre red hues to contrast with the ground, creating intricate designs which are perfectly symmetrical; each half of the cloth is a mirror image. This tampan portrays a stylized three-tiered ship with highly abstracted figures of ancestors or deities. The depiction of ships symbolizes a spiritual conduit guiding the community through life's transitions, and tampan cloths were exchanged during significant rites of passage, serving as celebratory items for events like births, deaths, marriages, and social rank ceremonies in Lampung culture. Size: 31.25" L x 29" W (79.4 cm x 73.7 cm)

According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art curatorial team, "Tampan were owned and used by virtually every Lampung family to consecrate ritual occasions and to assist each individual as he or she progressed through the diverse ceremonies that marked the various stages of life. Tampan were displayed or exchanged at both birth and death, at marriages, circumcisions, and ceremonies marking changes in social rank. They served as the focal point for ceremonial meals, as the seat for the elders who oversaw traditional law, and were tied to the ridge poles of newly built houses. They were a sacred force that bound society together. Tampan occur in two regional styles and in two primary colors. Those woven in blue depict the secular realm, those in red the sacred. Examples from the inland mountains show stylized natural or domestic subjects and geometric designs, while those from the coast (tampan pasisir) display richly detailed scenes of ships and other motifs."

Provenance: private Hawaii, USA collection; ex-Emile Deletaille, Belgium, 1970-1980s.

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#185275

Minor staining and discoloration to white ground as shown as expected with age. One small perforation about 6 inches from the edge on the center, reinforced with modern threads. The textile is attached to a modern cotton cloth backing and professionally mounted on a wooden frame stretcher. Ready to display!