Posted 10 years ago
mikeigotit
(507 items)
This Appears to be Hand Painted Material that was found in an old trunk by a lady in her 70's stating that this along with three more pieces like this belonged to her grandmother who was of Jewish decent living in Germany. The trunk has several different cloths in it, This was to me the most Unusual. I know nothing about fabric. The pieces are not fragile at all but by looking at the back and the edges it appears to me that they have some age to them. Any help would be greatly Appreciated. She also stated that people use to travel and bring her Grandmother all kinds of Gifts. Thanks for looking and hopefully Identifying !
To my eye it might well be Pacific Islands 'Tapa'.
Tapa cloth (or simply tapa) is a barkcloth made in the islands of the Pacific Ocean, primarily in Tonga, Samoa and Fiji, but as far afield as Niue, Cook Islands, Futuna, Solomon Islands, Java, New Zealand, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea (particularly in Oro Province around Tufi) and Hawaii (where it is called kapa). In French Polynesia it has nearly disappeared, except for some villages in the Marquesas.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tapa_cloth
That is exactly what it is.
T A
Vetraio50 Thanks once again. That looks just like it to me! TA thanks for cosigning!
You got it vetraio! I have a few WW2 soldier souvenir pieces in my collection.
scott
I have something that looks like that and I know it was made out of some kind of bark. I thought it was birch bark but I may be wrong. I'll take some pictures and post them so hopefully I can get someone who knows this material like vetraio to comment on it.
Tapa cloth from Samoa, to be specific. called siapo in Samoa. Tapa cloth from each island group differs in the way it is made, and the patterns used, so it is possible to identify where it was made. Polynesian tapa cloth is made from the inner bark of the paper mulberry tree, pounded out thin, and then layered, pasted, and pounded together.
CanyonRoad Thank You. I Love the Collector's Weekly family. So Informative and Knowledgeable.