When the Indonesian island of Java came under Dutch rule in 1755, two kingdoms maintained their independence as vassal states to the Netherlands crown. These rival court cities — Yogyakarta and Surakarta — were ruled by Javanese sultans until the 1940s.
This 19th-century mantle, or “samir,” was worn by the last “Sedahmirah,” the highest-ranking woman in the Surakarta court. Patterned with triangles to resemble the scales of the snake-shaped god Dewa Anta, the samir designated its wearer as guardian of the court’s treasures.
The patchwork design, known as “tambal,” holds talismanic power in Javanese culture and history. Sultans, shamans and royal guards wore intricate patchwork garments for physical and spiritual protection. Created from small pieces of precious cloth, the patterns represent the union of the earthly and divine worlds.
The silk fabric in this mantle may have come from local Indonesian sericulture or from Asian trade. Either way, it was valuable and a conspicuous symbol of status.
Palace of the sultan in Surakarta, Java. © Hilda Weges/Dreamstime.com.
