A journey to search my soul

This is a blog of my personal collections. The purpose of this blog is to educate myself and public in regards to antiquities especially related to religion and calligraphy. I welcome everyone to input their feedback in this blog which they think would be helpful. I do not watermark the photos in this blog so everyone is free to use them as long as they are not used for illegal and unethical reasons. I appreciate if you could notify me if you plan to use any of the photos here. Enjoy browsing!!

Sunday, December 6, 2015

Ancient Artifact Review 59 : Antique Malay Gold Threaded Pillow Ends / Tekat / Tampok Bantal ( early 20th Century)


These are 2 Malay artworks called tekat. It is a gold thread embroidery practiced by the Malay from Malaysia.  These beautiful pieces are sewn onto both ends of a bolster ( bantal peluk) as part of  the bridal decorations which is typical in Malay weddings. Traditionally, to have the entire bridal daise and chamber decoration done in tekat is almost a must. These days, one doesn't have to worry about creating a tekat arrangement for the wedding. In Malay wedding, its customary to use the service of "Mak Andam" or a wedding planner. They have almost complete bridal decorations arrangement and lend them out for a very reasonable price.
Tekat originally was a court art and gained popularity by the 15th Century. It was thought that this art originated from Ottoman Empire and brought into the royal court of the Malay Kingdom by the traders.
In this sample, the gold thread was stitched in a patterned way over a piece of of a maroon velvet fabric. Motifs of foliage and floral were used as Islam prohibits using animal motifs. I believed these samples from early 20th Century CE.
As we can see from my other entries , some bolsters' ends are sewn with decorated metal plates. Below are the links to the plates :

Malay Plate 01
Malay Plate 02

Compare this plate with Peranakan plates in below link
Peranakan Tampok Bantal

Specification :
Description : Malay bolster Tekat
OD : 4 inches
Material : Gold Thread on maroon velvet fabric
Ref :  Islamic Civilization In The Malay World (pg 325)

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