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Philippine

Scarf Length, mid 1800s

Description

Maker

  • Unknown

Culture

Philippine

Title

Scarf Length

Year

mid 1800s

Medium

Piña (pineapple-leaf fiber) plain weave with piña embroidery

Materials/Techniques

Materials

  • piña

Techniques

  • plain weave,
  • embroidery,
  • embroidering,
  • embroidered,
  • openwork

Dimensions

Length: 241.3 cm (95 inches)

Type

  • Textiles

Credit

Gift of Esther H. Baker

Object Number

14.403

Exhibition History

Exhibition History

“Insnared with flowers, I fall on grass"

June 10, 2014 - March 8, 2015

Fine fibers culled from the leaves of the pineapple plant give this scarf length its gossamer appearance. Some believe the pineapple was introduced to the Philippines from the Americas in the 1500s by Spanish sailors working trade routes connecting Manila and Acapulco, Mexico.

Already skilled at making textiles out of abaca, or banana-leaf fiber, Filipinos created luxury piña-cloth garments and textiles for a wealthy local clientele. Piña textiles were also exported across the world, sold as an alternative to lace. By the 17th century, Chinese and Indian immigrant artisans added new embroidery techniques and design motifs, seen in the exquisitely worked traditional Indian flowering-tree motif that graces the central field.

Use

The images on this website can enable discovery and collaboration and support new scholarship, and we encourage their use. This object is in the public domain (CC0 1.0). This object is Scarf Length with the accession number of 14.403. To request high-resolution files or new photography, please send an email to imagerequest@risd.edu and include your name and the object's accession number.

Feedback

We view our online collection as a living documents, and our records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you have additional information or have spotted an error, please send feedback to curatorial@risd.edu.

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