Fine mid 20C ceremonial ikat tubeskirt S Moluccas Kisar tiny aristocrats cockerel & humanoid motifs Start Price USD 299.00 Current Price USD 299.00 Time Left - Bid Count 1 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Sunday, August 31, 2008 End Time Sunday, September 07, 2008 Location Singapore See more about 'Fine mid 20C ceremonial ikat tubeskirt S Moluccas Kisar' Description Transaction Policies Fine mid 20C ceremonial ikat tubeskirt S Moluccas Kisar Click to View Image Album Click to View Image Album Click to View Image Album TYPE: HOMNON (CEREMONIAL TUBESKIRT) Origin: Indonesia, Southern Moluccas / Southeast Maluku, Kisar, 1940 – 1950sTechnique: Commercial cotton, natural and commercial dyes, warp ikatDescription: A fine ceremonial tubeskirt (homnon) woven on the island of Kisar or one of the tiny nearby islands in Southeast Maluku. The skirt is constructed from 2 mirroring panels joined along the selvedges to form a double width; the fringes were then cut off and the ends sewn together to form a tubular garment. Its main blue / white ikat band towards each end, underlined by an adjacent plain blue band, contains remarkably tiny motifs, including the human figure with raised arms and enormous hands—a hallmark motif of Kisar ikat—and a cockerel with an elaborate tail. Known as rimanu motifs, their use was the sole prerogative of the noble classes. The human figure is said to represent man after death, and together with the tree of life (shown on each end of the band), is traditionally used on funeral shrouds as well as on ceremonial skirts of this kind. The subsidiary ikat bands punctuating the rest of the design show the extraordinary delicacy and precision of Kisar ikat weaving—the main band is only 2.4 cm wide, the next broadest is less than 1 cm. The dense interleaving of fine dot ikat stripes with sets of red, yellow, pink and blue pinstripes creates the effect (unique to the easternmost islands) of an all-over ikat patterning that is in fact made up of a multitude of highly organized stripes. Of special note is the lovely rich abrash that has developed with the subtle shading of the dyes over time. A beautiful, elegant and rare weaving from the easternmost tip of the archipelago. History & Context: Textiles from the Southeast Moluccas are slenderly represented in Western collections, those from Kisar and Tanimbar being the best known. The similarity of Kisar motifs to those of East Timor is believed to be owing to the descent of some Kisar inhabitants from East Timor, but Kisar textile traditions diverge distinctively from the development of brightly colored, supplementary weft decoration in East Timor. They use instead a restricted range of colors, even with commercial dyes, and have maintained refined, small ikat motifs in subdued natural dye tones. This skirt was probably woven on one of the small islands near Kisar; those from Kisar island usually have a red-brown / ecru primary ikat band that is placed at the edge of the stripes, following which a plain black or blue band extends to the edge of the cloth. A skirt with of this kind where a blue / white ikat band is followed by a further series of stripes is not to my knowledge represented in the literature. Condition: The tubeskirt is in excellent condition, with no holes, stains, or tears. The reds are warm and glowing, the white is bright, and the indigo is a fresh, warm, medium blue. The cotton is quite fine, densely woven, soft to the touch and with a light, sandy texture. The skirt can be unstitched to show the full double width of the design, but I have left it in its original condition. Dimensions: Length: 127 cm. Width: 64 cm (stitched); 128 cm (unstitched). Portrait the Kisar woman with a spindle, 1929, courtesy of the KIT Tropical Museum, http://ccindex.kit.nl/.All photographs and descriptions are copyrighted and should not be used without permission except by the buyer of this item. Click to View Image Album Click to View Image Album Click to View Image Album Click to View Image Album Click to View Image Album Click to View Image Album Click to View Image Album Click to View Image Album   Transaction Policies Payment Back to Top Payment is expected within 7 days of the sale, preferably by Paypal. I also accept bank transfers. There is NO sales tax. Shipping Back to Top The item will be shipped by international registered airmail within 3 days of payment. I am happy to combine shipping for auctions closing within 15 days of each other. Shipping quoted is for the US and Europe-please contact me for cost of shipping to other countries, and if you require insurance. Return Policy Back to Top I will gladly accept a return and refund your payment (excluding shipping) if you are not fully satisfied with the item and contact me within 1 week of receiving it.   FREE scheduling, supersized images and templates. Get Vendio Sales Manager.Make your listings stand out withFREE Vendio custom templates!  FREE scheduling, supersized images and templates. Get Vendio Sales Manager. Over 100,000,000 served. Get FREE counters from Vendio today! Win more auctions at the last minute FREE. Learn how. Place a Bid!