Kain perada - Hirayama collection: the gold-printed textiles of Indonesia

Few are aware that Indonesia is an unparalleled treasure house of fabrics printed in gold or that the dazzlingly gorgeous textiles known as kain perada had, until very recently, been produced there with lavish use of gold leaf. Kain batik in Indonesian is the best known of the textiles produced in the islands that make up Indonesia, but the rich Indonesian textile tradition also includes ikat, brocade, and striped weaving, embroidery, tie-dyeing, and printing with gold leaf Ikat, brocades, and stripes are common in textiles woven in most of the Indonesian archipelago. Other techniques such as applying gold leaf and batik are more localized, practiced only in certain areas and among certain ethnic groups.The technique of applying gold to create kain perada was found principally on the islands of Sumatra, Java, and Bali, where each island's craftsmen produced these textiles in distinctive local styles. The use of kain perada, principally in clothing, was restricted to the privileged classes the royal families, the aristocracy, and the rich. Thus, kain perada had the same function of symbolizing prestige and power as have other products of the golden arts throughout the world. The tradition of kain perada, however, is now coming to an end. Most of what is now called kain perada uses relatively inexpensive bronze pigment, instead of gold leaf. Moreover, contemporary kain perada is worn by the common people, to whom it was alien in the past. The color plates of traditional kain perada presented in this book illustrate examples made with gold leaf, which are thought to date from the nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. The textiles for inclusion among the illustrations were selected from the Hirayama Collection and are organized by region of use. The text describes the kain perada tradition and the way it has changed and introduces the richly varied textile cultures of Indonesia. This book is the second volume on the Hirayama Collection, following Cashmere Textiles, which was published by Kodansha in 1984. The Hirayama Collection, a major collection of art objects associated with the Silk Road, was assembled by a leading Japanese artist, Ikuo Hirayama, and his wife, Michiko Hirayama. The kain perada in this book's color plates are from the outstanding collection of kain perada in the "Silk Road of the Sea" part of that collection.

Hardcover with slipcase and box

Book condition: Fine. As new

Slipcase condition: Fine. As new

Box condition: Good to Very Good. Box has light general wear, some small tears plus a bump to upper left corner.

Author: Shinobu Yoshimoto

Dimensions: 27 x 36 cm (book), 30.5 x 40.5 cm (box)

Print length: 202 Pages

Language: English, Japanese

Publication date: 1988

Publisher: Kodansha

ISBN:‎ 4062030179