Ikat Chapan Tunic // Uzbekistan // 19 Century CE // 2

This Ikat Chapan Tunic features exceptionally rich color and dynamic pattering. Its diamond shapes vary altering vertically between green & red and black & yellow, split by red diamonds outlined with ivory white, making it a captivating and unique piece.

Ikat weaving has emerged from different parts of the world independently, however it is ikat from Uzbekistan, defined as abrabandi (“bound cloud”), which is the most captivating. The word ‘ikat’ comes from the Malaysian word ‘mengikat’ or ‘to tie’, because the loose threads are tied into bundles using grasses or wax-treated cotton to specify where the dye is able to sink in and color the thread. The threads are dyed before they are woven into the textiles.

A characteristic of ikat textiles is an apparent “blurriness” to the design. The blurriness is a result of the extreme difficulty the weaver has lining up the dyed yarns so that the pattern comes out perfectly in the finished cloth. The blurriness can be reduced by using finer yarns or by the skill of the craftsperson. Ikats with little blurriness, multiple colours, and complicated patterns are more difficult to create and therefore often more expensive. However, the blurriness that is so characteristic of ikat is often prized by textile collectors.