This type of Gujarati silk double-ikat cloth is known as a ‘patolu’. A speciality of weavers in Gujarat in India, it was made for export to the Indonesian market in the late 19th century or later. It has been cut and edged to serve as a ceremonial cloth at the Javanese courts where it would have been used as breast-cloth, possibly by a court dancer.
The weaving technique used to create ‘patola’ is very sophisticated. Weavers tie and dye the warp and weft threads in patterns and then weave them together to create a pattern on both sides of the cloth.