pidan (a temple-hanging consisting of a large rectangular panel of handwoven silk decorated with Buddhist themes)

silk cloth, consisting of uneven twill groundweave patterned with resist-dyed weft thread (a technique known as hol in             Cambodia, as ikat elsewhere)

L 9ft. 8in.   W 2ft. 10 ½ in. (detail only shown)

Cambodia

age uncertain, perhaps late 19^th century

condition: good, with age-appropriate wear

provenance:  collected in Cambodia by Jack Daulton

Inv. no. 13

Subject matter: The Three Worlds (the Buddhist cosmology)

The central field consists of two repeats of a complex temple structure which can be viewed as three separate temples, representing the three worlds of the cosmos, encompassed by a larger pavilion representing the cosmos as a whole.  This is a rare and unusual design that does not appear in the published literature on pidan.  The complex temple structure motif alternates with 1 ½ repeats of two horizontal rows of apsaras (heavenly dancers) and other divinities.

Reference:

Gillian Green, Traditional Textiles of Cambodia: Cultural Threads and Material Heritage (Chicago: Buppha Press, 2003), pp. 242-255.