tribaltextiles.info

To my embarrassment, few days ago i found a word "lawon" in a website. Now, it was said that lawon is a textile originated from Palembang, Indonesia. That's shocked me a bit, since I was born in Palembang, lived there long enough, yet i did not know any textile named lawon.

So i did a small research, in the internet, there are not a single information about lawon whatsoever in Bahasa Indonesia. Then I searched more international sites, and can only found lawon that is for sale, witn small or even no historical or technical information.

Well, i then also called my contacts in Palembang, songket artist, dealers, teachers, but the result is almost the same, not much info about this piece.

Info i have collected so far:
- it's ancient, and not produced anymore in Palembang or Indonesia.
- Last production maybe at middle of 20th century
- Silk based (?)
- not using tenun ikat but using resist dyeing technique, and not using batik pattern whatsoever
- only used as a part of gifts for "seserahan" ceremony, a pre marriage ritual.
- using bright colors

So, if anyone have any detailed info about this textile, please2 enlighten me, and please post some picture of it if you have one

(Pamela, i'm counting on you, hehehehe)

Thanks
Joy

(sorry, but i cannot provide you with any picture)

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--It's hard to be a half breed, especially if your father is partially Arab, Sunda, and Lampung, while your mother is half Toraja half Wajo, and you was born in Palembang, yet raised in Bangka Island, just to go to study for 8 years in Bandung--

I have just had a quick look in various references but nothing for 'lawon' in any glossary or inded.

I have found this 'gallery' of lawon on the William Siegal Gallery website: http://www.williamsiegal.com/textiles_indonesian.html The effect as shown on the website is of a striking display of modern paintings! The text for the images says:

At least I now know what I am looking for so might have more luck in the references. Of course, if I find anything else I will post.

Best,

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Pamela

http://www.tribaltextiles.info
on-line tribal textiles resource

Thanks Pam, as always you're a very reliable source. I also keep looking for more info, maybe next week I'm gonna fly directly to Palembang to investigate deeper on this matter.

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--It's hard to be a half breed, especially if your father is partially Arab, Sunda, and Lampung, while your mother is half Toraja half Wajo, and you was born in Palembang, yet raised in Bangka Island, just to go to study for 8 years in Bandung--

I contacted William Siegal asking him if I could post one of the images from his gallery directly onto the forum and he has agreed. This one seems particularly luminous to me.

Thanks very much, Bill. For further information on this textile - or just to enjoy the gallery of 6 Kain Lawon go to the William Siegal Gallery at http://www.williamsiegal.com/textiles_indonesian.html

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Pamela

http://www.tribaltextiles.info
on-line tribal textiles resource

I'm so happy to see a discussion on lawon here. I've always been attracted to these stunning textiles.

In the west they are commonly referred to as "Rothko textiles". They come in a variety of colors, with the deep maroon being predominant.

The center field can be either rectangular shaped, as most are, or diamond shaped, which is rarer. The most desirable color for the center field is a vegetable dyed olive green, as this is the hardest color to set.

These are quite rare textiles, and are often heavily stained or damaged.

I'd like to point members to my mother's website, where she has a few on display under the "textiles" section http://lotusasianart.com/collection1.html.

My wife just asked me to find information about "Rothko textiles" (since we have one) to relate the Rothko on a card to our friends' interest in SE Asia.
Bang! An image search brought me here, where I first should have looked.

Why do we have one? I tend to buy any attractive textile that I don't know much about (if it doesn't seem to cost too much). Maybe 25 years ago, we were in St. Georgen, Switzerland, in a shop that sold peasant style ceramics. I recognized that the silk draped as decoration was probably from SE Asia, and the lady sold it to me for Sfr 125. A broader grin would be inappropriate, since I didn't know what I had, and only years later saw William Siegel offering framed lawons at an ICOC for much more. I had already stopped using mine as scarf, because it had a few holes.

Respect. for his recognizing the artistic quality of lawons, also as decorative pieces for people less interested in textiles. Till then, mine was for me just a just a nice, rather simple, find.