Rediscovering The Traditional Textile Art Of Telepuk With Royal Selangor
The centuries-old craft was once a sign of royalty and high nobility in Terengganu, Pahang, Kedah, Johor, and Selangor.
Textile art is a core part of Malaysian history and traditional Malay culture, from the wax-resist dyeing technique of batik to the intricate weaving of songket. Yet among these celebrated textile traditions is one that has largely faded from public memory: telepuk, a craft in which luxurious fabrics were embellished with 24k gold to create garments fit for royalty.
Dating back to the 17th and 18th centuries, telepuk was once a symbol of royalty and high nobility in Terengganu, Pahang, Kedah, Johor, and Selangor. Typically reserved for royal ceremonies and important traditional occasions, the textile was governed by strict sumptuary laws that regarded it as the “property of the palace”, limiting its use to the Malay courts of old.
Its exclusivity stemmed from the painstaking craftsmanship involved. Producing telepuk required mastery across multiple disciplines, including woodcarving, woodblock printing, cloth preparation, weaving, and gold gilding. Artisans carefully hand-carved delicate floral motifs, flowing awan larat patterns (the traditional Malay decorative motif of drifting clouds), and intricate geometric designs onto wooden blocks known as sarang telepuk. These patterns were then imprinted onto fine woven fabrics such as silk, satin, or Bugis cloth before sheets of gold leaf were meticulously applied by hand, giving each piece a luminous finish worthy of ceremony, status, and celebration.
Today, telepuk has become increasingly rare. Perhaps due to its royal origins and the level of skill required to master the craft, it is now seldom seen outside museums and archives, with fewer practitioners carrying its knowledge forward. Centuries later, however, this once-regal art form is experiencing a cultural revival, as exhibitions and contemporary interpretations introduce younger generations to a forgotten chapter of Malaysian heritage.
One example is Royal Selangor‘s latest Telepuk Collection and its accompanying exhibition, Telepuk: The Imprint of Heritage, currently on display at the Royal Selangor Visitor Centre in Setapak, Selangor, until 31 December.
At the heart of the collection is the Telepuk Collector’s Set, inspired by a historic series of 77 woodblocks produced between 1920 and 1923. The blocks were once owned by His Royal Highness the Sultan of Selangor and are currently housed at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.
The set features six pewter plaques, each showcasing a different sarang telepuk motif: Bunga Melati (a stylised jasmine flower), two interpretations of Bunga Tanjung Pecah Lapan (an eight-petal flower), Bunga Cengkih (a clove flower motif), Awan Larat (depicting leaves, flowers, and stems intertwined with drifting clouds), and Pucuk Rebung (a triangular bamboo-shoot motif filled with flowing vines, traditionally used for the kepala kain). Mounted on wooden backings, the plaques faithfully translate the proportions and intricate details of the original carvings into pewter while paying subtle homage to their wooden origins.
Completing the collection are two pewter coasters that adapt telepuk motifs into functional everyday objects. The Heritage Telepuk Awan Larat Coaster combines lotus, awan larat, and wave motifs to reflect the flowing lines characteristic of traditional Malay art, while the Heritage Telepuk Floral Motifs Coaster draws inspiration from jasmine, mangosteen calyx, and clove patterns to celebrate the beauty of the natural world.
Alongside the collector’s set, Royal Selangor has also launched Telepuk: The Imprint of Heritage, an exhibition dedicated to exploring the craft’s history and cultural significance. Historic fabrics and carved printing blocks provide visitors with insight into the centuries-old tradition, while immersive workshops and live demonstrations offer opportunities to experience the craft firsthand.
Highlights include a special-edition pewter bowl-making workshop at the School of Hard Knocks featuring traditional telepuk motifs, as well as two new moulds that visitors can use to create either a necklace or keychain inspired by the craft.
“Telepuk is an art of transformation. Through the delicate application of fine gold leaf, a fabric becomes a garment fit for royalty,” said Dato’ Yong Yoon Li, Managing Director of Royal Selangor, in a statement.
“Through this exhibition and our Telepuk Collector’s Set, we hope to bring greater recognition to the artistry and knowledge behind this craft, giving these remarkable designs a new expression in pewter while honouring the tradition from which they came.”
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