Tapis (Indonesian weaving style)

Tapis

Tapis being sold at the store in Indonesia
Type	Art Fabric
Material	silk, cotton, gold, silver
Place of origin	Lampung, Indonesia[1][2][3][4]

Tapis (Rejang: ꤳꤶꥇꤼ꥓; Indonesian: kain tapis or simply tapis) is a traditional Tenun style and also refers to resulting cloth that originated from Lampung, Indonesia.^[5][6][7][8] It consists of a striped, naturally-coloured cloth embroidered with warped and couched gold thread. Traditionally using floral motifs, it has numerous variations. It is generally worn ceremonially, although it can be used as a decoration. It is considered one of the symbols of Lampung and Lampungese.^[9]

Tapis is generally made by Lampungese women. It consists of a woven, naturally coloured fabric with warped gold and silk embroidery.^[10][11] The gold thread, shaped in stripes, chevrons, and checks, contrasts the colours of the fabric.^[10][11] Tapis can also be decorated with beads, mica chips, or old colonial coins.^[10][12][13]

The gold embroidery is affixed using couching techniques, minimalizing waste.^[14] The gold thread is attached in sections, then couched with a different, less expensive, thread at turns. This ensures that none of the gold thread is used in a non-visible area.^[14][15]

Traditionally, tapis has floral motifs. However, modern tapis may also be based on the weaver's own design and include non-floral motifs, such as Arabic calligraphy.^[13] Other designs may include snakes, ships, and mythical creatures.^[11] Some tapis, called tapis tua (old tapis), are covered entirely in golden embroidery.^[16]

Although generally produced by Lampungese home industries, tapis is also produced in other areas, including Kendal, Central Java^[10] and Pisang Island.^[17]

Traditionally, tapis is worn as a sarong for weddings, Eid ul-Fitr celebrations, and welcoming ceremonies. However, tapis can also be used as a wall decoration.^[13] When worn, it forms a cylinder around the wearer's legs.^[18]

Tapis has come to be seen as a symbol of Lampung.^[10] Some people describes tapis as having "exceptional beauty and sophistication",^[19] while some describes viewing tapis as "like seeing countless possibilities in art and life portrayed in cloth".^[15]

The price of tapis reflects its age. Generally, the older a tapis the more it costs. Antique tapis are also collectors items, collected by both Indonesians and foreigners.^[10]

• 
  Tapis of Kauer people, Lampung at the Textile Museum of Canada
• 
  Tapis from Lampung c. 18th century (or earlier) at the collection of Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
• 
  A black and red tapis

• Ulos
• Ikat
• Batik
• Songket

Footnotes

Bibliography

• Backshall, Stephen (2003). The Rough Guide to Indonesia. Rough Guides. p. 565. ISBN 1-85828-991-2. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
• Forshee, Jill (2006). Culture and Customs of Indonesia. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-33339-2.
• Maxwell, Robyn J. (2003). Textiles of Southeast Asia : Tradition, Trade, and Transformation. Hong Kong: Periplus. ISBN 978-0-7946-0104-1.
• Rodgers, Susan; Summerfield, Anne; Summerfield, John (2007). Gold Cloths of Sumatra : Indonesia's Songkets from Ceremony to Commodity. Leiden: KITLV Press. ISBN 978-90-6718-312-3.

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