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1 of 253523 objects
Prayer mat 1901
Straw, silk, velvet | 67.5 x 178.0 cm (whole object) | RCIN 34386
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Long rectangular woven straw mat with a border of foliage embroidered in gold and red thread on yellow silk. The central section is of yellow velvet with shaped red and black velvet borders embroidered with gold thread and beads. There is a woven straw "pocket" to underside.
Provenance
Given to King George V and Queen Mary, when Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York by Idris Murshidul Azzam, Sultan of Perak, during their visit to the Federated Malay Straits in 1901. The Sultan also presented a gold box set with rubies, RCIN 17522, and two bolster cushions, RCINs 34333-4. Worked and presented by H.H. Raja Permaisuri, the wife of the Sultan.
Both the Duke and Duchess recorded the presentation in their diaries for that day. The Duke wrote, 'At 3.0 one of the wives of the Sultan of Perak came & gave May two beautiful mats worked & embroidered by herself & her women', while the Duchess described the pieces as 'beautifully embroidered' (RA GV/PRIV/GVD/1901 and QM/PRIV/QMD/1901, 22 April 1901).
Exhibited at the Imperial Institute, London, in 1902: ‘Gifts & Addresses received by Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Cornwall & York during their visit to The King’s Dominions beyond the seas, 1901’ (exhib. cat. no. 28A).
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Medium and techniques
Straw, silk, velvet
Measurements
67.5 x 178.0 cm (whole object)
Place of Production
Malaysia
