Aceh Woman’s Embroidered Vest (Baju Mesirat)

This vest of black calico cotton is finely and densely embroidered with red, green, cream and yellow stitching, and pink edging.

Such embroidery, known as tabour work, was done by Gayo men of central and highlands Aceh in the early part of the twentieth century using old, foot-pedalled sewing machines imported by the Dutch.

The vest is similarly embroidered front and back and with bands of geometric motifs in keeping with the Islamic aesthetic, and panels of spidery cotton motifs.

The vest is in particularly good condition particularly given its age. There is some fraying here and there, but there are no significant holes or repairs, and the condition remains robust and stable.

A very similar example is illustrated in Maxwell (2003, p. 404).