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Piña cloth (a)

LOCAL NAME:

Piña cloth (a)

ENGLISH NAME:

Pineapple cloth sample swatch

DESCRIPTION:

Possibly from Panay Island: Piña cloth
A woven pineapple cloth featuring floral motifs embroidered in white silk threads

COMMONLY USED BY/IN:

Possibly from Panay Island, Mindanao

MATERIAL COMPOSITION:

Pineapple fibers, Silk threads

ITEM CONSTRUCTION:

Weaving, Embroidery

DIMENSIONS:

Length
186.4 cm

Width
129 cm

ACQUISITION YEAR:

2021

RESEARCH DATA:

This textile from the collection is a three-paneled woven piña/pineapple (Ananas comosus) cloth, featuring intricate floral and net-like silk embroidery designs. It is featured in Araneta and Lim’s (2014) book Art and the Order of Nature and is described as a gauzy fabric that “is a product of the weaving together of colonial influence and indigenous technology.” This description reflects the fact that it was woven using fibers from piña, a plant native to the Americas, while applying traditional indigenous methods used in weaving abaca textiles (Araneta & Lim, 2014).

REFERENCES:

Araneta, P. & Lim A. R. (2014). Art and the Order of Nature: The Mercedes Zobel Collection of Indigenous Philippine Textiles. Ayala Foundation, Inc.

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