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Unknown Maker, Philippine

Scarf Length
Now On View

Maker

Unknown Maker, Philippine

Culture

Philippine

Title

Scarf Length

Year

ca. 1830-1870

Medium

  • Piña (pineapple-leaf fiber) plain weave with cotton embroidery

Materials/Techniques

Techniques

  • Piña (pineapple-leaf fiber) plain weave with cotton embroidery

Materials

piña

Geography

Place Made: Philippines

Dimensions

Length: 241.3 cm (95 inches)

Credit / Object Number

Credit

Gift of Miss Esther H. Baker

Object Number

14.403

Type

  • Textiles

Exhibition History

From Pineapple to Pañuelo
Philippine Textiles
Dec 07, 2024 – Aug 24, 2025

Label copy

This long piña scarf testifies to the skill and endurance of weavers and embroiderers who made it. Nearly eight feet long, it features intricate calado, a drawn-work technique in which threads are removed and twisted together to create a lace-like effect. Piña textiles of this length are rare; this example’s unusual embroidery designs may reflect Chinese and Indian influences rather than imported European forms. 

“Insnared with flowers, I fall on grass"
Jun 10, 2014 – Mar 08, 2015

Label copy

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.

Image use

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Public Domain This object is in the Public Domain and available under a CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication

Tombstone

Unknown Maker, Philippine
Scarf Length, ca. 1830-1870
Piña (pineapple-leaf fiber) plain weave with cotton embroidery
Length: 241.3 cm (95 inches)
Gift of Miss Esther H. Baker 14.403

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