Woman's shoulder cloth

Textiles such as this were once made only by court women, and wearing them was a privilege of the upper classes.

Balinese textiles show remarkable diversity in terms of techniques, colors, and patterns. This sash was made using two different techniques of ornamentation. In endek, the weft threads are bundled and tied so that parts resist absorbing color when the threads are dipped into a dye bath. This complex technique can involve numerous retyings of the threads, depending on the number of colors in the textile, before the actual weaving. Songket involves the use of supplementary silver or gold threads to ornament the cloth.

In this sash, a plain red central panel is surrounded by wide ornamented borders. The border decorations include a pattern of moths or butterflies. It is difficult to know this motif’s significance; it may refer to the insects that produced the silk from which this sash was made.