Palepai (ship cloth)
date: label: Date
content: mid-19th century
notes: label: Catalogue Status
content: Research in Progress
label: Description
content: Horizontal rectangular panel known as a ship cloth or 'palepai'. Embroidered in dark and light blue, dark red, and white cotton. Two instances of traditional "ship of the dead" motif, with pattern repeats separated by "tree of life" designs, although the two ships are not identical. Features a few animals, many human figures (on main deck as well as on outer extensions), and umbrella-like designs, which could be ancestor shrines. Used in naming, circumcision, marriage, and death ceremonies--ceremonies that mark new stages of existence.
place: label: made in
content: Indonesia
setName: label: See more items in
content: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum Collection
label: See more items in
content: Textiles Department
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Alan L. Wolfe
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 1962-233-23
objectType: label: Type
content: embroidery & stitching
label: Type
content: Palepai (ship cloth)
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: CC0
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: Medium: cotton embroidery on cotton foundation Technique: embroidered on plain weave Label: cotton embroidered with cotton
label: Dimensions
content: H x W: 64.1 x 279.4 cm (25 1/4 x 110 in.)