You are using an outdated browser and your browsing experience will not be optimal. Please update to the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. Install Microsoft Edge

April 22, 2011

Tilleke & Gibbins Textile Collection to Showcase Burmese Ceremonial Hanging

On May 19, 2011, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Tilleke & Gibbins Textile Collection (TGTC), Dr. Linda S. McIntosh will briefly describe the history of shwe chi doe and changes in the manufacture and style of these couched and embroidered textiles. She will also talk about the steps of creating a shwe chi doe. The afternoon will end with a discussion and viewing of The TGTC’s hanging, which was made in 1908.

The Tilleke & Gibbins Textile Collection purchased a Burmese Shwe Chi Doe ceremonial hanging, commonly known as Kalaga, in 2010. Examples made prior to Burma’s independence from the British Raj are rarely available in the market although some outstanding ones are housed in major museum collections. Large examples have been documented in archival photographs as the backdrop to official ceremonies and meetings of both Burmese and Shan leaders during the time of the Raj. Laypeople also commissioned the textiles to offer to temples.

For more information and RSVP, contact:
Dr. Linda S. McIntosh
[email protected]

RELATED INSIGHTS​ 

January 10, 2012
The complex traditional belief system of the Tai requires different types of ceremonies for various purposes. Rites of passages, such as weddings and funerals, are elaborate, and textiles play important roles in them. Other rituals, such as those for healing, spirit appeasement, and honoring ancestors, call for woven accoutrements for their success. Although many Tai groups are Buddhist, pre-Buddhist beliefs are still part of the lives of the Tai people, and many Tai subgroups are not Buddhist but animist, or belief in spirits.
December 23, 2011
Dr. Linda S. McIntosh, consulting curator of the Tilleke & Gibbins Textile Collection, will lead a study trip to Ratchaburi Province on January 15, 2012. The excursion will provide participants with an opportunity to learn more about Tai Yuan textiles of Central Thailand by visiting a museum and weaving centers.
October 10, 2011
Dr. Linda S. McIntosh, Consulting Curator of the Tilleke & Gibbins Textile Collection, will present a program devoted to the topic of indigo on October 13, 2011. Natural indigo has historically been an important trade item, and its use has been documented throughout the world. The word indigo is derived from the Greek word indikon and Roman word indicum, referring to India, thought to the oldest center of indigo production.
August 4, 2011
The Tilleke & Gibbins Textile Collection accessioned a large shwe chi doe hanging (h 1.6 m x w 4.7 m) in 2010. Pre-World War II examples are rarely found in the market; thus, the purchase was a rare opportunity to acquire a type of textile absent from the collection. Existing examples are housed in private and major museum collections, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Australian National Gallery, the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco and the Denison University of Ohio.