This is a kalaga, from Burma (Myanmar), which my parents bought in the mid-eighties. Traditionally, there are padded figures in the middle, and they are heavily embroidered with sequins and other decorations. In this piece, the figures are five dancing angels. This type of design with angels is traditionally used for funeral services as a coffin drape. Since it’s so beautiful and Americans are usually clueless it’s displayed on the living room wall. My mother says her Thai friends were shocked, and considered the decor scheme very Goth.

Here are closeups of two of the angels. The design incorporates a lot of sequins and beads, and the rest is mostly couched braids/cords. The angels are very heavily padded.

I’ve included a closeup of the border design. It’s really amazing what you can do with sequins. The kalaga is such incredibly detailed work, on such a large scale.