
Man's mantle, hinggi kombu. Made of two panels of handwoven handspun cotton yarn, dyed blue, rust and brown in natural dyes (Indigo and morinda citrifolia) and hand sewn together along the inner selvedges. At each end a band of stripes replaces the warp-faced cloth with a weft-faced border, below which the warp ends hang loose. Main part decorated with warp ikat in a design which is symmetrical about the central horizontal axis, each half consisting of bands of opposing motifs. From the central band outwards these are: set against a dark ground 1. flower shape on stem with a further foliate stem rising from the base at each side and naga shapes outside these; 2. lions rampant with crowns; 3. large four-legged creatures with pronged horns and tails curved over their backs, depicted sideways and apparently each in the process of devouring another creature; two types of birds alongside; 4. set against a rust coloured ground, a row of pairs of turtles separated by fish or dolphins. East Sumba, Indonesia. (AF79)