Tapis Raja Medal (The King's Badge Tapis)

Label

The Tapis Raja Medal (The King’s Badge Tapis) depicts figures riding on ships that represent the naga, mythical serpent-dragons associated with water, rain, fertility, royalty, and the underworld. Blue, pink, and coral-colored silk floss, painstakingly applied with both skill and precision, accent the hands of the men and the naga-ships. Decorative registers of alternating triangles separate the bands of figures. Text runs along the ropes that connect the men and ships, translating to, “Take advantage of alliance/favorable opportunity.”

Used for maritime ceremonies by the wives of noblemen or ritual dancers, this tapis highlights the importance of the naga in Southeast Asia. These mythical creatures communicate wealth and power.

From the 2023 exhibition A Space for Dialogue 115, Connecting Threads and Woven Stories, curated by Caitlyn King '24, Class of 1954 Intern

Exhibition History

A Space for Dialogue 115, Connecting Threads and Woven Stores, Caitlyn King '24, Class of 1954 Intern, Alvin P. Gutman Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, October 21 - December 16, 2023.

Wearing Wealth and Styling Identity: Tapis from Lampung, South Sumatra, Indonesia, William B. Jaffe and Evelyn A. Jaffe Hall Galleries and Churchill P. Lathrop Gallery, Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire, April 11-August 31, 2009.

Publication History

Mary-Louise Totton, Wearing Wealth and Styling Identity: Tapis from Lampung, South Sumatra, Hanover: Trustees of Dartmouth College, 2009, p. 80, p.81, plate 32, ill.

John R. Stomberg, The Hood Now: Art and Inquiry at Dartmouth, Hanover, New Hampshire: Hood Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, 2019, p. 105, ill. plate no. 36.

Provenance

Stephen A. Lister, Santa Fe, New Mexico; given to present collection, 2009.

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