# Ceremonial Textile (Tampan)

- By: Paminggir (Indonesia, South Sumatra, Lampung area, Possibly Kota Agung)
- Date: Late 19th century
- Medium: Four panels joined; cotton, gilt-metal strip, silvered-paper-strip wrapped silk, plain weave with supplementary patterning and brocading wefts; stitched together with pineapple fiber
- Classification: Religious/Ritual Object
- Dimensions: 75.2 × 240.7 cm (29 5/8 × 94 3/4 in.)
- Culture: Indonesia
- Credit line: Gift of E. M. Bakwin Indonesian Textile Collection
- Museum: [Art Institute of Chicago](https://www.artic.edu/artworks/180292)
- Rights: [Public domain (CC0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- Picture: https://www.artic.edu/iiif/2/a8748723-2067-f3d5-d0b8-c57e14fd921f/full/!1920,981/0/default.jpg
- Who can see it: Tweens profiles and older (museums give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the museum's own words)

Ceremonial textiles like this one—called tampan—were used in rites of passage and as wrappings for ritual gift exchanges. The images of ships that appear on these fabrics were considered symbolic of transitions, evoking vessels that ensured safe conduct from one phase of life to the next. This example features depictions of a European ship, rather than one that would have been used in the region; the reason for this unusual choice is unknown.

Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0