Woman’s Shoulder Cloth (Kain Songket)


A luxurious silk and metal thread cloth such as this is popularly known as kain songket. Songket technically refers to the supplementary weft brocading technique, here used with gold metallic threads to create an overall geometric and floral pattern on a red silk ground.

Title: Woman’s Shoulder Cloth (Kain Songket)

Artist: Unknown

Creation Date: 19th – Early 20th century

Geography: Indonesia, Sumatra, Palembang

Culture: Malay

Medium: Silk, gold metallic thread

Technique: Plain weave, tie-resist dyed weft (weft ikat), supplementary gold weft patterning (brocading)

Dimensions: 76 x 197 cm (30 x 77 1/2 in)

Classification: Textiles

Credit Line: Gift of Marie-Louise Nabholz-Kartaschoff, 2021

Object ID Number: 2021.5.KT446