Royal Selangor Brings Telepuk Heritage Into A New Form

Some traditional crafts are remembered through the objects they leave behind. Others survive through the knowledge of how they are made. Telepuk belongs to both. Once used for ceremonial textiles and garments in the Malay courts, the craft is now receiving a new interpretation through Royal Selangor’s latest exhibition and collection.

Telepuk is a textile art that uses carved woodblocks to stamp motifs onto fabric before artisans apply gold leaf by hand. The process brings together weaving, woodcarving, printing and gilding, with floral and nature-inspired patterns forming some of its most recognisable details. Over time, however, the specialised knowledge behind the craft has become less familiar.

Royal Selangor explores this history through Telepuk: The Imprint of Heritage at the Royal Selangor Visitor Centre in Setapak, Kuala Lumpur. Running from 27 August to 18 October 2026, the exhibition brings together historic textiles, carved woodblocks, tools and demonstrations to show how telepuk was made and why the craft remains part of Malaysia’s textile heritage.

Looking Beyond The Finished Textile

Rather than focusing only on the finished pieces, the exhibition looks at the process behind them. Visitors can see the fabrics, carved stamps and materials used in telepuk, alongside demonstrations that show the precision required to create each gilded motif.

The exhibition also brings together contributions from heritage institutions and craft communities, including the Langkasuka Movement, Jabatan Muzium Malaysia, Perbadanan Adat Melayu dan Warisan Negeri Selangor, Seni Ukir Bakawali and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The V&A connection is particularly significant to the new collection. A series of 77 telepuk woodblocks dating from 1920 to 1923, once owned by the Sultan of Selangor, are now preserved in the museum’s collection. Some of these historic blocks provide the source for Royal Selangor’s new pewter interpretations.

From Woodblocks To Pewter

The Telepuk Collector’s Set translates six of these historic woodblocks into pewter plaques. The designs retain the relief, proportions and intricate details of the original carvings, while wooden backings reference the material used for the original blocks.

The six designs include Bunga Melati, Bunga Tanjung Pecah Lapan, Bunga Cengkih, Awan Larat and Pucuk Rebung. Each carries its own visual language, from the six-petal jasmine flower to the flowing leaves, stems and tendrils of awan larat.

The collection also includes two Heritage Telepuk Coasters, which bring the motifs into everyday objects. The Awan Larat Coaster combines lotus, awan larat, trailing clouds and wave motifs, while the Floral Motifs Coaster features jasmine, mangosteen calyx and clove forms.

Keeping The Craft In Use

The idea of giving telepuk a place in contemporary life continues through the exhibition’s hands-on activities. At the School of Hard Knocks, visitors can make a special-edition pewter bowl featuring motifs adapted from historic V&A woodblocks.

The Foundry also introduces two new moulds based on motifs from the same collection. The Bunga Pecah Empat designs can be made into either a necklace or keychain, giving visitors a smaller way to take the craft home.

This approach reflects a wider question around heritage crafts: how can traditional knowledge continue when fewer people practise it? For Royal Selangor, the answer lies partly in allowing the designs and techniques to be seen, understood and adapted without losing their connection to the original craft.

Telepuk is not simply a decorative technique. As Dato’ Yong Yoon Li, Managing Director of Royal Selangor, noted during the exhibition launch, the craft brings together different areas of knowledge, from weaving and woodcarving to gilding and dressmaking.

By placing the original craft alongside its new pewter interpretations, Telepuk: The Imprint of Heritage gives visitors a closer look at how an old craft can continue to develop. The exhibition does not separate the past from the present. Instead, it shows how the patterns, tools and knowledge of telepuk can still find a place in contemporary design.

The exhibition is open to the public at the Royal Selangor Visitor Centre from 27 August to 18 October 2026.