tribute to the king - mlh web · tts newsletter issue: iii vol. iv . december 2016 . tribute to the...

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TTS Newsletter ISSUE: III

Vol. IV December

2016

Tribute to the King

The Thai Textile Society mourns with the Thai

nation the loss of its great king, Bhumibol

Adulyadej. His 70-year reign marked a great era

for the country and its people, having enjoyed the

King’s patronage and attention, providing help to

the many aspects of Thai life. The King was

regarded by his subjects with great love and

respect naming him the father of all Thais, a tribute

which was observed annually on his birthday. The

King’s presence will be greatly missed in the

country. The Thai Textile Society wishes King

Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun much

success and prosperity in his reign.

Newsletter Contents Page Buddhist Monks’ Fans 2 Chomporn Dhanesnittaya and Siew-Eng Koh The Cashmere Collection in 6 the Toyokan (Far Eastern Gallery) of the Tokyo National Museum John Toomey Lao Khrang Weavers of Uthai Thani 9 Ruth Gerson Textile Accessories for Korean 13 Hanbok National Dress John Toomey

2015: An Amazing Year 17 of Textile Books Jenny L. Spancake Textole Collection at 19 The Siam Society Ruth Gerson

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Buddhist Monks’ Fans Chomporn Dhanesnittaya and Siew-Eng Koh

On September 23, Khun Chomporn and Mr. D.B. Bhatt held an illuminating Collector’s Corner on Embroidered Buddhist Monks’ Fans. Khun Chomporn talked about Buddhist monks’ fans in the Thai tradition and attendees could see up close embroideries on mostly silk fabric, brought by Mr. Bhatt, which have been ordered to be used to make monk fans. Interestingly, Mr. Bhatt told us that the embroiderers came from a community of Muslim men in Gujarat. We could see from the size, intricacy of pattern and design that these exquisite embroideries were meant for fans to be presented to high ranking monks. There was a very large piece which was to be used to create a fan to be placed in front of a Buddha image in a temple. Although it is not one of the eight requisites that Buddhist monks possess, one invariably sees monks holding fans with long handles during Buddhist observances and ceremonies. It is not known exactly why and how the fan became part of a monk’s paraphernalia. Various reasons have been offered – one being that it was used to shield putrefying smells (monk robes were made with clothes used to wrap corpses in ancient times); another is that according to legend, the Buddha carried a fan when he preached to his father, King Suddhodana and so the fan became a symbol of spiritual authority. A practical reason for monks to hold fans when they chant or preach the Dhamma is so that they can concentrate and not get distracted. Additionally, the fan becomes a symbol of separation from the mundane word.

Embroideries shown by Mr. Bhatt

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Phra Malai with fan – National Museum Bangkok. Phra Malai was a legendary Buddhist monk who had attained supernatural powers, usually depicted carrying a fan and a bowl (here bowl is shown in the back). Ceremonial fans are presented to monks on various occasions – in ordination ceremonies, to acknowledge achievement in education or in providing service to the Buddhist order, to commemorate special events such as opening of temples, merit making ceremonies, birthdays, funerals etc. Special fans are presented to monks when they pass examinations in Dhamma studies from the third to the ninth grade. There are a total of nine grades. Nowadays, one can tell the level of examination the monk has passed by the color of the fan and its handle, and the number indicated in the middle of the fan. Monks who pass levels 3-5 are presented red fans with black holders by the Supreme Patriarch, and for higher levels achieved, monks will receive fans from the King. For levels 6-8, the fans are yellow with black handles and for the highest level, the fan is yellow with a white handle.

An antique phat parien

The division of examinations from 3 to 9 levels was changed

during the reign of King Rama II. Examinations for monks were instituted during the Ayutthaya period.

Recently televised screenshot of Buddhist proceedings at the Palace held for His Majesty the King’s funerary services. Seen are four monks holding phat parien (used only in royal ceremonies) whilst chanting the Dhamma. The green fan is level 3, the blue is 4, red is 5 and yellow is 6. The monks are seated around a scripture box on which stands a phat chaek phum khao bin (see below) The Thai word for monks’ fan is taliphatt - tal is a type of palm tree and phatt means sheet. So, the etymology of taliphatt is sheet of palm leaves. Palm leaves (particularly the leaves from the same kind of palm used in making palm-leaf manuscripts) are still being used to make monks’ fans but in Thailand, the craft of making taliphatt has evolved in the materials used, shapes and designs on the fans. Various types of fabric such as felt, velvet and silk are used but during ancient times in Ayutthaya until the reign of King Rama IV, ivory was also used. As we shall see below, the shapes of the fans seem

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to derive or are inspired by royal regalia as evident in temple murals depicting royal processions. Fans are usually decorated with embroidery and sometimes embellished with semi-precious stones. Designs vary but the higher the rank of the monks, the more exquisite and intricate the patterns embroidered into the fans are. These are particularly evident in fans presented to high ranking monks by royalty. In the past, embroideries on the fans were made by ladies living in the palace. Ladies living in the palace were trained from a young age to be skillful in crafts such as embroidery, flower making, fruit carving etc. There are essentially four shapes of taliphatt in the Thai tradition. The first and most common shape is called phat na nang which means fan in the shape of a

woman’s face. It is oval shaped with the top part having a flatter curvature. Taliphatt phat na nang, made

with palm leaves

The second shape is

called phat phuttaan (phuttaan is a flower with many petals). It is essentially round with serrated edges like petals of the flower. There are 16 petals. The frame is metallic and the fan is usually made of felt, velvet or silk. Ivory Fan from Rama II reign at National Museum Bangkok

Fan in phuttaan shape made in the reign of King Rama V Phat pleaw phlerng which means flame shaped fan is the third shape. The top of the fan is pointed like a flame. These fans have metallic frames and made with woolen fabric. Fans in this shape are presented to abbots of first class royal temples. Royal temples are temples built or renovated by kings, or built by royalty or nobility and dedicated to the king. There are three classes or royal temples.

1. Flame shaped fan

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2. Flame shaped fan

The final and fourth shape is phat chaek phum khao bin (name of a Thai motif, in shape of lotus bud) but is also referred to as shape of leaf of breadfruit tree as the details on the sides are like pinnate lobes of the breadfruit tree leaves. There are usually five to nine lobes on each side. The number of lobes and design depend on the ranking of the monk. The fans have metallic frames and are made with very expensive brocade, silk and woolen material embroidered and couched with gold or silver threads. Some fans are embellished with semi-precious stones. These fans are reserved for monks with very high ranks Large fans in this shape are placed in front of the main Buddha image in the highest grade of first class royal temples of which there are only six (four in Bangkok - Wat Pho, Wat Arun, Wat Maha That and Wat Suthat; Wat Pra Pathom Chedi in Nakhon Pathum and Wat Phra Phutthabatt in Saraburi *Some pictures of taliphatt in this article are reproduced from the commemorative book, “Taliphatt Wat Pho”, with permission from Wat Pho. The book was published on the occasion of the funeral of the former Abbot of Wat Pho in 2015.

Detail of fan.

Principal Buddha at Wat Pho with large pha chaek phum khao bin in front

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The Cashmere Collection in the Toyokan (Far Eastern Gallery) of the Tokyo National Museum John Toomey

The wool of the Himalayan goats from the Kashmir region in northwestern India is lustrous and soft. The best quality wool is obtained from the neck region of the goats and undercoats during the spring molting season (March to May). Cashmere has fine texture, light in weight, and is soft yet strong. Although defined as wool, cashmere is finer than sheep’s wool providing greater insulation. In fact, it is considered the highest class of all natural fibers, taking up to four years for one goat to produce enough wool for one average size item.

Cashmere was produced and traded as early as early as during the Mongolian empire in the 13th century. It was likewise used in later years by Persian and Indian rulers for both political and religious purposes, establishing relations between the giver and the receiver. Today, cashmere shawls are known for their distinctive high quality yarn dyed in various colors, woven into complex motifs of brocade and hand embroidered. From the 16th through 18th Century the East India Company exported great quantities of these to Europe where they became extremely popular. European women of the noble classes were keen to have their portraits painted wearing these highly prized shawls. Cashmeres were also used to make dresses and gowns.

During the Industrial Revolution in Europe Lord Paisley from Scotland reproduced the cashmere shawls in wool. It grew to be so fashionable that their traditional Indian ambi pattern from that region became known as Paisley. Products fashioned in India included kurta collarless shirts, sleeveless coats, formal jackets, sashes, tapestries and carpets. Examples of each of these categories from the Tokyo National Museum’s permanent display of cashmere articles displayed in the Far Eastern Gallery (Toyokan) are shown in this article.

Detail of flower rug Iran Safavid dynasty 17th century

Detail of flower rug Iran Safavid dynasty 17th century

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Detail of gold brocade sash17th century

Tapestry weave shawl with embroidery and

patchwork with paisley design on white ground 18th-

19th century

Cashmere Shawl Tapestry weave with paisley and vine

design on black ground 18th century

Shawl with paisely and medallion design on scarlet

ground 18th century

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The Cashmere Collection continued

Detail of coat woven green stripes 19th century

Pants for kurta (collarless shirt)

Detail of pants with embroidery of small flower design

on red satin ground 19th century

Sleeveless coat 19th century

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Detail of coat woven green stripes 19th century

Coffin Cover gold and silver embroidery paisley design

on red ground

Lao Khrang Weavers of Uthai Thani Ruth Gerson

Antique blanket part of Thap Klai’s village collection

In the Thai heartland of Uthai Thani Province, nestled in a small valley with an idyllic landscape, lie several villages of weavers. The people who live in these villages originated in Laos and are known generally as Lao Khrang.

It may seem strange to find Laotians settled far from their homeland. However, historical circumstances created this interesting niche within Thai society. These people were brought to Siam in the 18th century by General Chakri, the chief officer in the army of King Taksin of Thonburi (r.1767-1782). He brought from Laos the most important and valuable war booty - the people who were taken captive. They provided the much-needed workforce for the victorious nation. Among the approximately 6,000 captives were people from many regions in Laos - from the mountains of Xieng Khuang to the ancient cultural capital of Luang Prabang to Vientiane on the Mekong River and to Sam Nua in the far north. They settled in Siam in nearby Nakorn Phanom, just across the Mekong River from Laos, and further afield in eastern Pichit, centrally located Suphanburi and Uthai Thani. The Lao who live today near Uthai Thani call themselves Lao Vieng, indicating that they originated in or around Vientiane.

The second wave of Lao migration arrived in the 19th century during the reign of King Rama II (r.1809-1824). At that time people from Laos joined relatives who were already residing in Siam. The third wave,

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migration this time under King Rama III (r.1824-1851) when 80,000 to 100,000 people were brought to the Chao Phraya River basin. With this massive resettlement of people came many weavers, Lao Khrang and others, bringing with them traditions and skills that have survived to the present day. The Lao Khrang, like many groups of people in Southeast Asia, are named after the dominant color in their garments. The Lao Khrang dye their skirts red, using the sap of the lac tree (a variety of the sumac tree). The word for lac in the Lao language is Khrang, hence the name of the people, Lao Khrang.

There are two villages in Uthai Thani Province in central Thailand where the people still actively engage in weaving: Baan Thap Klai and Baan Rai. These villages boast some of the most skilled weavers in the area. Baan Thap Klai is identified by its expertly woven tung (banners) with animal designs. Villages generally concentrate on producing one or two items using weaving styles with which they are ultimately identified. The banners of Baan Thap Klai are traditionally woven in cotton, mostly on a natural cream-colored background, but with some bright new colors finding their way in. The small animal patterns and geometric designs that decorate the banners are woven in supplementary weft, using a separate shuttle for each color included in the weave. These extra weft threads create a design reminiscent of embroidery. It is remarkable how the weavers keep the patterns and all the paraphernalia straight to create such artistic work.

Banners are important items in Lao tradition. They are given to the temple on Songkran, the Thai and Lao New Year, by people who pay respect to the temples and their ancestors, thereby gaining merit for their acts. In the past, the large wooden village temple at Baan Thap Klai displayed its wonderful collection of banners year-round, some of which bear water stains where the colors have run due to the respectful and sometimes overzealous ritual of Songkran water pouring. To preserve the banners and other woven items, the weavers keep these today packed away, but display them when requested

Antique banner

Ginning the cotton (removing seeds)

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Fluffing the cotton, ready for making thread

Spinning raw cotton into thread

Pillows are woven items customarily presented to the temple, and are part of its existing collection. Traditionally rectangular or triangular in shape, they are given by family members to the temple during a monk's ordination. Today, pillows are fashioned into new functional shapes such as a flat, square pillow that makes a comfortable seat. Particularly treasured in the temple are manuscript covers. These relatively small pieces of tightly woven cloths, about twenty-five centimeters wide, are used to cover and protect the narrow Buddhist manuscripts that are traditionally inscribed on palm leaves. Some of the manuscript covers incorporate narrow strips of

bamboo in the weft giving it a slightly stiff texture. Animal patterns and geometric designs that are unique to this village have been worked into the weave of the manuscript covers and appear on all other textiles, old and new alike.

Rolling cotton on a stick

For Membership Information: Download Application on TTS Website www.thaitextilesociety.org For Membership inquires Please email – Membership Chair [email protected]

http://www.thaitextilesociety.org/

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Woven square that covers monk’s head during

ordination

Pha hoe Kampee, manuscript cover

When the women are not needed in the fields they weave on wooden looms that are kept under their homes. It is interesting to observe the weaving process. Skilled weavers do not have a drawn design to follow. They work from memory using traditional patterns they have seen at home or at the temple. Therefore, each piece has its own signature, and no two hand woven textiles are the same. The fortunate visitor may be able to see the cotton ginning, a simple procedure of removing the seeds from the cotton by hand. The older women often tend to this task as well as the related work of fluffing and rolling the seedless cotton and preparing it to be spun into thread.

Not far from Baan Thap Klai lies the village of Baan Rai. Here, too, people sit under their houses weaving, spinning yarn or sorting silk co coons. It is the home of the National Artist Pa Champi who is well into her seventies. She entered the weaving competition at the National Commission for Culture in Bangkok about twenty five years ago where she won a prize and became acknowledged for her skill. In August of this year she was awarded a medal in recognition of her work by Princess Sirindhorn Maha Chakri. Pa Champi specializes in weaving blankets with intricate geometric designs that are large at the center with smaller designs at the border, and colorful, heavy-weight pha-sins. She has skillfully woven banners that tell the story of her village, and others with poetry lines written by famous Thai poets, illustrated with subject related figures. She runs her hand along these woven lines reciting them audibly, even faintly humming a tune. Pa Champi continues to experiment with new designs while also rearranging traditional patterns. To keep the craft alive, she has been teaching weaving to younger women in the village.

Pa Champi, National Artist, reciting her village’s history which

she had woven into a banner Pa Champi's collection of antique weavings is kept in a small Thai house on high stilts in her compound which serves as a modest museum. The textiles hanging on display, mostly pha-sins, are old and a bit shabby with a few newer pieces hanging alongside. These pha-sins represent the work of three generations of weavers, of Pa Champi, those of the mother and grandmother. Stacked on a table are

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ABOUT US: The Thai Textile Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and appreciation of textiles, with particular emphasis on the textiles of Thailand and Southeast Asia. Based in Bangkok, the Thai Textile Society was founded in 2004 when Kathleen Forance Johnson, wife of U.S. Ambassador to Thailand Darryl Johnson, invited scholars, collectors, and other textile enthusiasts to establish a society dedicated to the study, appreciation, and preservation of the textile arts in the kingdom and the region. An avid weaver and textile collector, Mrs. Johnson envisioned the Society as a forum for textile lovers to exchange ideas and share information and resources. Since its inaugural meeting in May, 2004, the Society has organized regular lectures, trips, and other programs such as its popular Collector’s Corner series. The TTS enjoys and appreciates support from the Siam Society and the James H.W. Thompson Foundation.

small remnants of traditional weaving placed between sheets of Plexiglas, which serve as samplers for studying the weavings of the Lao Khrang.

The Thai government recognizes Baan Rai for its importance in preserving the heritage of weaving. A new center offers Lao Khrang weavings for sale, with one section housing an array of traditional weaving for viewing only. This exhibit of items woven by villagers for their own domestic use includes mattress covers, sheets, blankets, mosquito nets and curtains.

Women are regarded in Thai society as the upholders of its traditions. The many customs, beliefs and crafts are handed down by the females of a household, especially when specific skills are concerned. The Lao Khrang women take pride in their craft, but the lure of easier work and more affluent lifestyles poses a danger to this age-old practice. The establishment of new centers in villages to market local wares and the increased public awareness and interest in the craft of weaving may help to secure this tradition for years to come.

Textile Accessories for Korean Hanbok National Dress John Toomey

Hanbok Seamstress

In Seoul’s National Museum (otherwise known as KNM or Korea National Museum, even though there are national museums all over Korea) is the collection of the work of the National Living Treasure Kim Hee-Jin (born 1934). All are textile accessories for hanbok, the traditional Korean dress characterized by vibrant colors, simple lines and no pockets. The hanbok is worn by men and women as well as children.

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The four types of accessories are: 1.The maedup traditional decorative knotted cords.

Colorful maedup braided tassel for closing lady’s

hanbok. insignia of court rank

Pilnang brush case 20th century

2. Heavily embroidered jumeoni silk pouches for carrying items, often gifts of New Year money for children.

Embroidred red Jumeoni Pouch 20th century

Embroidred gold Jumeoni Pouch 20th century

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3. Norigae ornaments that also serve as fasteners to keep the hanbok closed.

Norigae with three pendants 20th ccentury

4.. . Other decorative pieces.

Very elaborate maedup

Jumeoni eared pouch 20th century

From 1963 Kim Hee-Jin studied under Jong Yeon-Su, Korea’s National Master of Maedup. She travelled around Korea in search of the fast disappearing ancient skills and designs learning to practice them all and even developed her own new skills. Thus she earned the same national recognition as her teacher; her achievement and work are listed as National Intangible Cultural Heritage Property #22. In 1979 Kim Hee-Jin founded the Maedup Research Society and donated to the National Museum of Korea 430 pieces that she had created herself or collected over the previous 40 years. Most Koreans still wear often their national dress on formal occasions at which time they use these accessories.

Kim Hee-Jin

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2015: An Amazing Year of Textile Books

Jenny L. Spancake

The Textile Society of America holds a symposium every two years with 2016’s event taking place in Savannah, Georgia. The final banquet of the symposium is the traditional venue for the presentation of the R.L. Shep award for the best book on ethnic textiles that is awarded each year. When I was beginning to read about the papers that were to be presented at this symposium, I also looked at the books nominated for that award as it was a good place to learn about any new publications I had missed during the year. Imagine my surprise and happiness when I discovered that for the year 2015 there were 21 books nominated. And that list did not include a number of books I had purchased during the year including several on Japanese textiles. I already owned a few of these books and immediately purchased a few more that were of interest confining myself to those which dealt with Asia.

Previous recent winners of the Shep prize include in 2012 the excellent overview of Chinese Silks (Yale University) edited by Dieter Kuhn and the first survey of sazigyo from Myanmar by Ralph Isaacs (Sazigyo, Burmese Manuscript Binding Tapes: Woven Miniatures of Buddhist Art, Silkworm Books) in 2014. The quality of books nominated are such that I was eager to read as many as I could. As I was not sure how many of these books were known in Thailand, I thought that it would be worthwhile to give a short review of those I thought most relevant to Southeast Asian textiles. Of course, this is not an objective list, but rather those that most appealed to me.

First, I list the nominees so readers can see the variety of textiles that have been the subject of books in the past year:

Karin Altman. Fabric of Life: Textile Arts in Bhutan: Culture, Tradition and Transformation. Vienna: Institute of Applied Arts, 2015

Denise Arnold and Elvira Espejo Ayka. The Andean Science of Weaving: Structures and Techniques of

Warp-Faced Weaves. New York: Thames and Hudson, 2015.

Vandana Bhandari. Jewelled Textiles: Gold and Silver Embellished Textiles of India. New Delhi: Om Books, International, 2015.

Eric Boudot and Chris Buckley. The Roots of Asian Weaving: The He Haiyan Collection of Textiles and Looms from Southwest China. Havertown Kuba, Pennsylvania: Oxbow Books, 2015.

Marie-Therese Brincard, ed. Kuba Textiles: Geometry in Form, Space and Time. Purchase, New York: Neuberger Museum of Art, SUNY Purchase, 2015.

Deborah Chandler and Teresa Cordon. Photography by Joe Coca. Traditional Weavers of Guatemala. Loveland, Colorado: Thrums Books, 2015.

Duncan Clarke, Bernhard Gardi and Frieder Sorbe. African Textiles: The Karun Thakar Collection. Munich, London and New York: Prestel, 2015.

Rosemary Crill. The Fabric of India. London: V&A Publishing, 2015.

Anna L. Dallapiccola. Kalamkari Temple Hangings. Ahmedabad: Mapin Publishing, 2015.

Robert Magregor Duff. Master Weavers of the Altiplano: The Ancestral Artistry of Highland Women. Ann Arbor, Michigan: La Paz Publications, 2015.

Mary M. Dusenberry, editor and project director. Color in Ancient and Medieval East Asia. Spencer Museum of Art, the University of Kansas, 2015.

Eiluned Edwards. Imprints of Culture: Block Printed Textiles of India. New Delhi, Niyogi Books, 2016.

Zhao Feng. Early Chinese Textiles from the Lloyd Cotsen Collection. Los Angeles: Cotsen Occasional Press, 2015.

Linda A. Gerdner. Hmong Story Cloths: Preserving Cultural and Historical Treasures. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 2015.

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2016 Christina Hellmich. Royal Hawaiian Featherwork: Na

Hulu Alii. San Francisco and Honolulu: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco and University of Hawaii Press, 2015.

Alissa LaGamma. Kongo: Power and Majesty. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2015.

Louise W. Mackie. Symbols of Power: Luxury Textiles from Islamic Lands, 7th-21st Century. New Haven and London: The Cleveland Museum of Art and Yale University Press, 2015.

Walter F. Morris, Jr. and Carol Karasik. Photographed by Janet Schwartz. Maya Threads: A Woven History of Chiapas. Loveland, Colorado: Thrums Books, 2015.

Carmella Padilla and Barbara Anderson, editors. Principal Photography by Blair Clark. A Red Like No Other: How Cochineal Colored the World. New York: Skira Rizzoli and the Museum of International Folk Art, 2015.

Chloe Sayer and Alexandra Palmer. Mexico: Clothing and Culture. Toronto: The Royal Ontario Museum, 2015.

Elizabeth Warren, Maggie Gordon and Joanna S. Rose. Forward by Martha Stewart. Photographed by Gavin Ashworth. Red and White Quilts: Infinite Variety Presented by the American Folk Art Museum. New York: Skira Rizzoli and the American Folk Art Museum, 2015.

The most ambitious books of the group with original research is The Roots of Asian Weaving by Eric Boudot and Chris Buckley. The goal of the book is “to examine the weaving traditions of Southwest China and place them within the wider context of weaving traditions in Asia.” Focusing on the border area

where China meets Southeast Asia, a center of cultural diversity, Boudot and Buckley see that area as a key to understanding other textile traditions and weaving methods in the entire Asian region. By analyzing loom structure the authors set out to

document looms and weaving and comparing these throughout the region. This book is well illustrated and a gold mine of information which demands close reading as well as rereading to grasp all of the details presented. The diagram of the relationships of the looms studied ranging from Cambodia, Thailand and Laos, to Han Chinese ones is an amazing distillation of complex relationships. I cannot begin to go into the details of the book as it is beyond a quick summary. I can only recommend that anyone interested in weaving in Asia read this book.

Two other nominated books take a different approach to textiles. Both are based on multidisciplinary studies focusing color. A Red Like No Other: How Cochineal Colored the World: An Epic Story of Art, Culture, Science, and Trade is a catalog of an exhibition at the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe with chapters on the uses of cochineal throughout the world including North and South America, Africa, and Asia. Multiple uses of the dye in textiles, painting and other media are illustrated. This wide-ranging examination of one color, red, in textiles throughout the world illustrates the spread of the use of cochineal and the importance of that color in virtually every culture in the world.

Color in Ancient and Medieval East Asia is another multidisciplinary study looking at more than just textiles. The focus of this study is to look at color symbolism in Asia by studying texts, wall paintings and textiles. I was particularly interested in two sections of this book: Color at the Court of Japan and Color in Religious Art in Medieval East Asia. The expansion of focus from just textiles to the wider aspects of color is literally illuminating.

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Fabric of Life which studies Bhutanese textiles also enlarges previous study of this subject by its

extensive focus on the monastic dances in Bhutan with their elaborate costumes. The use of textiles in the rituals and religious festivals that are so much a part of Bhutanese culture are described in detail. As these textiles are often of Chinese origin, they have

not been discussed in previous studies. This book features wonderful photographs of many of the festivals with detailed explanations of the dances that are an integral part of these events.

Imprints of Culture is another book with a wide focus – block printing in India. Block printing is covered from both an historical and a contemporary viewpoint. To me the most important focus of the book is the sustainability of this craft in India. Long a part of Indian culture, it can only continue if people are still willing to purchase cloth produced by hand by this method. The current state of the craft and its sustainability including private and governmental efforts is presented in a positive manner with the conclusion that India’s block prints “remain a visual and material expression of a culture.”

Kalamkari Temple Hangings continues the discussion of textile craft in India obviously centering on another textile process using resist dyeing – the production of kalamkaris. I have discussed how kalamkaris are made in a previous article for the TTS newsletter so I was very happy to see an entire book devoted to one aspect of their production. This book does not discuss how the kalamkaris are produced but with photographs details the subject matter of a number of very large hangings produced for use in

Indian temples. Looking at these hangings in detail gives us an insight into what types of stories were illustrated by these large textiles as well as helps train our eye to look at all textiles with a pictorial aspect.

A few kalamkari hangings were featured in the catalog of the recent groundbreaking exhibition of Indian textiles at the Victoria and Albert Museum. This nominated catalog, The Fabric of India, is a readable overview of the history of Indian textiles. Beginning with illustrations of the raw materials and production techniques, textiles in all the many varieties of techniques used in India were displayed in a visually ravishing exhibition. The catalog provides a well photographed record of this exhibition. What made this exhibition particularly meaningful for me and I would hope a large number of others who visited the exhibition or read the catalog is the last section. Modern designers and contemporary artists who use traditional textiles in their current work were displayed which provides hope for the continuation of textiles produced in all of the many textile techniques historically produced in India. Rosemary Crill has written an accessible overview of Indian textiles drawing on her years of study.

The last book I will discuss has already been mentioned in two of my previous articles for the Thai Textile Society newsletter Symbols of Power is a magisterial overview of Islamic textiles as stated in its subtitle, Luxury Textiles from Islamic Lands, 7th -1st Century. Based on the Cleveland Museum of Arts extensive textile collection but supplemented with illustrations from many other collections as well as other media such as miniatures and wall paintings, the history of Islamic textiles is presented in both a

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magnificent range of textiles created in the Islamic world is very well illustrated. This is a book to be read and reread. Louise Mackie has given us the benefit of her lifetime of study of these textiles.

When the Shep award winner was announced, Louise Mackie was the winner for Symbols of Power, no surprise to the members of the Textile Society of

America who have followed her work throughout her career. However, it was a significant year in the publication of textile books and I personally wish to recognize the work done in all these books, particularly those of Rosemary Crill and Eric Boudet and Chris Buckley. There is so very much

to be learned from these works of research on many aspects of textiles. And so many more still to be written. I hope the books published recently will spur on other authors to share their knowledge with us. And now I must go back to reading my newest acquisition, published by the Abegg-Stiftung, that magnificent center for the study of textiles in Switzerland. Too much to read, too much to learn.

15TH TSA Biennial Symposium

Louise Mackie Shep award winner

Textle Collection at The Siam Society Ruth Gerson

Lao coffin cover Cotton printed in India for Siam Textiles have always been part of a people’s culture. Beside one of their main function of covering a person’s body, textiles reflect the wearer’s importance and rank in society, wealth and status, the ethnic group he or she belongs to, and often in women their marital status. Southeast Asia is a region rich in such textiles, and the Siam Society has acquired numerous pieces that mirror the cultures of Thailand and its neighboring countries. These were recently icatalogued and entered into a high quality publication as part of the Society’s overall collection. The Catalogue has the alluring title of “Sombat Siam – The Siam Society Collection”.

Thailand is centrally located in Southeast Asia and while many woven materials were and are produced locally in various provinces, people have continuously traveled through its borders and introduced a variety of textiles which left their mark on the local craft.

The dominant ethnicity in the area is that of the Tai who are found in Thailand, Laos, in parts of Myanmar and Vietnam. Other groups are the Mon-Khmer who inhabit pockets in the west and east of Thailand as

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Vol. IV December

2016

well as and the hill-tribes of the North and Northwest of the country representing diverse origins. A large and impressive weaving group is the Lao who were brought to Siam as war booty in the late 18th century and continued to migrate into the country thereafter. Their artistic skills and weaving ability have contributed greatly to today’s weaving culture of Thailand.

Karen hill-tribe shawl with Job’s-Tears seeds

Khmer silk temple banner

In Thailand the art of weaving is that of women, although today some young men attempt to learn it. Cotton and silk are the materials used in weaving, depending on the area and the availability of such commodities. Furthermore, patterns, designs, colors and weaving techniques identify each ethnic and sub-ethnic group.

In addition to clothing for everyday and formal attire, woven materials were used as household items such as blankets, curtains, mattress covers, mosquito nets and pillows. These were also used for religious purposes, for example, vertical hanging banners for temple fests, ordination ceremony head covers for

novices and Buddhist palm-leaf manuscript covers. The Lao have elaborate long woven pieces that are coffin covers which a person acquires during his lifetime to be used at his funeral. The Khmer are known for their exquisite horizontal silk temple banners that are wide and often display figurative themes, and their finely woven and patterned silk pha-sins.

The Siam Society has several hundred pieces which are kept in a manner suitable for protecting these cultural treasures, which is away from light and dust. The new catalogue represents a cross-section of the collection which can be enjoyed without disturbing the original textiles.

Lao style monk’s head cover used in ordination

ceremony

tribute to the king - mlh web · tts newsletter issue: iii vol. iv . december 2016 . tribute to the...

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