Mid-Century Sumba Pahikung Textiles, Set of 2

A charming pair of pahikung textiles from the Indonesian island of Sumba. Gifted to the previous owner whilst in Indonesia in the 1980’s, they are most likely either  Hinggi or Selimuts (mens shoulder or hip cloth). 


150cm x 38cm and 170cm x 36cm respectively, both textiles come with a carved wooden hanging/display pole (90cm). Though not a matching pair, they have a shared history and we feel they belong together so are selling as one item.


The larger piece, (with the single figure and blue ground) is older, early 20th century. The other piece appears to be later, early to mid 20th century.


Both are in excellent condition, the blue ground textile showing more signs of age; wear to the dyes, softer, more used, a little more ragged around the edges but no damage or losses. The other is clean and bright, only slight signs of age.



The smaller piece is a rare example of a Luar Dalam Pahikung. This is the finest type of pahikung and is woven with two separate wefts that ensure the quality of the inside/underside of the textile is the same as that of the outside/upperside. (Compare the undersides of both pieces and you can see the supplementary wefts of the larger textile are left floating where they aren’t forming part of the design, whereas the design is the same to both sides of the smaller textile).


About Pahikung:
Pahikung is a weaving technique that employs supplementary warps to embellish textiles with an infinite range of geometric and zoomorphic designs. They can only be woven using supplementary warps that are all the same colour, these are then hand tinted to embellish the finished design (the greens and deep yellow on the smaller textile for example). These beautiful textiles, utilising an incredibly sophisticated and technically demanding weaving technique, are only produced now on a small stretch of East Sumba.


Display:
When they came to us, the textiles were stapled on to the hanging poles. We have removed these (no damage caused) so they can be displayed as you see fit. They can be clipped (as per our images), draped over the poles or they make excellent soft furnishings, table runners etc.