Backstrap- or treadle-loomed, plain weave. Two-faced supp. weft brocading. Three pieces joined with randa, front, back, sides; ends hand-hemmed. Head hole cut out, bound with embroidered neckpiece. Object name was "sobre huipil, cofradia
2.4 Fine Clothes and Accoutrements not used exclusively for status or religious purposes
Production date:
ca. 1930s
Accession date:
March 1, 1989
Department:
Mexico, Central America, and Caribbean area
Dimensions:
width 128.5 centimeters and length 92.5 centimeters
Comment:
MATERIALS, TECHNIQUES: Backstrap or treadle loomed? White cotton background in "lightweight" open effect weave. Suppl. weft in white on white cotton; silk floss in yellow, purple. Native name and meaning: Huipil, cofradia- woman's ceremonial blouse CONTEXT OF USE: Iconography is characteristic of the wedding huipiles from Quetzaltenango. White on white cotton supplementary weft is done in diamond, bird, floral motifs and each weft is cut creating "tufts". Embroidery at neckline is floral and bird motifs done in light green, lavender and yellow silk floss. "stripes" of yellow and purple silk floss randa over the joining of the three pieces create horizontal and vertical lines. While Rowe writes that a similar pices (Fig 94 p. 106) is treadle-loomed in Totonicapan, both O'Neale (p 129 Fig 27 a,c, h) and Bird classify this as backstrap-loomed. Arriola de Geng agrees with Rowe. Division made by gold silk, also in other similar textiles available in 1992. CONSERVATION: Good. Large rust colored stain, some threadbare hole (Wendy Berkelman)