Offering cloth (lamak) depicting Kunti
MediumCotton embroidery on cloth
Dimensions34 1/16 × 11 inches (86.5 × 28 cm)
CultureBali, Negara
ClassificationsTextiles
Credit LineAcquired through the George and Mary Rockwell Fund
Terms
- Textiles
- Cotton
- Mahabharata
- Kunti
- Hinduism
- Cloth
- Balinese
Object number2007.031.045
Label CopyAs the mother of the three elder Pandawas, Kunti is an important female character. In the wayang kulit, her role is somewhat diminished. But in the lamaks, which were embroidered by women, she has a more pronounced quotidian presence. In general the lamak cloths have a unique gendered view, emphasizing gestures and characters eclipsed in the wayang performance. This embroidered cloth depicting Kunti might have hung on ritual occasions in outdoor family shrines. Her honorary title "Ibu" is literally translated as mother, which evokes associations with kin, earth, and fertility worship.Collections
