Like other blankets, this 'phaa hom' is made from two pieces of cloth joined together. The diamond pattern on the main part of the textile are woven with yellow yarns. During the weaving process, the extra yellow threads were inserted to create the pattern, a process called supplementary weft weaving. The warp threads that run the length of the textile are red, while the main weft threads are indigo blue in the body of the textile. The end panel has red and green weft threads, in addition to the indigo blue ones. The geometric and fringe-like pattern ('soi saa') on the end panel is composed of supplementary weft threads that have been wrapped in gold foil. The patterning on the blanket has similarities with textiles produced in central Thailand, yet it was once used in the Lao royal court and dates to the mid 19th century.

Asian Art Department, AGNSW, December 2011