Object Image

Woman’s Mantle (Chyrpy)

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.

Credit: Gift of E.B. and Joan C. Long...

late 1800s-early 1900s
Exterior: silk; plain weave; embroidery: chain stitch
trim: silk; tablet-woven with fringe
lining: cotton; plain weave, block printed
119.4 x 75.0cm
2010.192
Image and text: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2023

Where you'll find this

The Cleveland Museum of Art
Permanent collection