ARTIFACTS AND OBJECTS OF THE WORLD
Name: Phaa sin (tubular skirt) from Laos
Origin: Tai Daeng People, Laos
Museum: Dallas Museum
Material: cotton and silk
Dimensions: overall: 31x27 ¼ in (78x69 cm)
Reference code: 1991.361
Age: early 20th century
Comments:
This classic style of Laotian skirt is unusual for its use of both ikat-patterned cotton and ikat-patterned silk in the same textile, thereby featuring special dyeing properties of two fibers. The vertical bands with white designs on a dark blue ground are cotton, indicating cotton's ability to absorb indigo, a plant-derived dye. The red-ground bands are silk, vividly dyed with lac, a dye obtained from scale insects. Separating the ikat-patterned bands are areas of geometric motifs in low relief, shaped by supplementary, or extra, wefts inserted during the weaving process. The ikat designs of the skirt depict a stylized serpent, the nak, a river dragon or serpent-like mythical creature that had protective connotations. This creature reminds us of the aso, a mythical fusion of dragon and dog in the art of Borneo , which also signifies protection.
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