For this talk, Dr Pullen will draw from her 2021 monograph ‘Patterned Splendour’ published by ISEAS Singapore, her March 2023 ‘Kawung’ article for the TASSA Review in Sydney, and her Spring 2024 ‘Tumpal’ article for the Pah Thai Magazine in Bangkok.

Lesley will explore the various ways in which two ubiquitous motifs, known in Indonesia as kawung and tumpal, form part of a lexicon of common indigenous patterns. The kawung, a motif of interlocking circles, appears extensively as a repeat main ground pattern on certain Hindu Buddhist sculptures dating from the 13th and 14th centuries. The tumpal, sometimes referred to as pucuk rebung or lawi ayam, a motif of an extended triangle, appears as a repeat edge or border pattern. The tumpal, whilst appearing on only one medieval sculpture, is frequently evident in contemporary Indonesian textiles, in ikat, batik and songket.

Lesley will supplement this richly illustrated talk by showing a number of relevant textiles from a private collection of Indonesian and Indian textiles.

Lesley Pullen, an independent art historian, completed her PhD in the History of Art and Archaeology at SOAS University of London in 2017, following which she was appointed a Post-Doctoral Research Associate until the publication of her monograph in 2021.