Name: Palel Teal Elephant-Birds
Item#: 18006
A soft pale teal is the background to this deceptively simply patterned large cloth with saang hong (mythological elephant-birds) and naga (mythological river serpents) regularly spaced throughout. The magic comes in the color distribution offsetting the regularity of the figures, creating movement. The colors used to depict the mythological motifs are earthy and subtle. The saang hong are pregnant with flowers and have a baby bird on their backs. Saang hong are considered to be male spirits, as the elephant is a fierce jungle spirit, and the hong bird can fly between the human and the spirit worlds being a creature of the air. The naga lives in the river, which irrigates the rice field, and, since rice is life, the naga represents the female spirit. So, this textile has a yin/yang balance of both male and female spirits, useful in shamanic ceremonies. Comes with a photo of the natural dyer and designer, Souk, modeling the piece.
Size: 24" x 86"
Origins: Houaphan Province, Laos
Price: $925.00
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