Cleveland Museum of Art

Woman’s Mantle (Chyrpy)

Date

late 1800s–early 1900s

Medium

Exterior: silk; plain weave; embroidery: chain stitch; Trim: silk; tablet-woven with fringe; Lining: cotton; plain weave, block printed

Culture

Central Asia, Turkmenistan, Tekke tribe

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

Traditional costumes in central Asia have distinctive characteristics that indicate ethnicity, age, and class. One of the oldest examples is a woman’s coat with false sleeves attached on the back and worn over the head. This silk coat in yellow, the color worn by middle-aged women, is elaborately decorated with popular stylized tulips embroidered in chain stitch. Worn consistently by a newlywed, the coat was later only used on special occasions. Although women made and embroidered garments at home, this expensive luxury mantle was professionally made and sold in the marketplace.

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