Ceremonial cloth, Lawon

Palembang, Indonesia
Late 19th century
Silk; tritik stitched resist zone dyed
78.5 x 32 in / 199 x 81 cm
$12,000

Lawon are the great exception to the Indonesian textile convention of ‘horror vacui.’ The minimalism in keeping with the color field movement of abstract painting that evolved in New York City during the mid 20th century. This was achieved with a stitched resist dye technique known as tritik, and gives a very contemporary aesthetic value that brings to mind the painting of Mark Rothko.