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Man's Sarape (Wearing Blanket)
1800–50
- Medium
- Cotton and wool, slit and single dovetail tapestry weave; edged with cotton, knotted fringe
- Classification
- Textile
- Dimensions
- Overall, with fringe: 232.4 × 111.1 cm (91 1/2 × 43 3/4 in.); Overall, without fringe: 197.5 × 111.1 cm (77 3/4 × 43 3/4 in.)
- Culture
- Saltillo
- Museum
- Art Institute of Chicago, Textiles
- Credit line
- Gift of Mrs. Tiffany Blake
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Tweens profiles and older: its subjects are known and suit older children. How works are placed
View at the Art Institute of Chicago
About this work
Produced in northern Mexico using a combination of Indigenous and foreign weaving materials and techniques, the man’s wearing blanket—also known as a sarape—was a highly valued and versatile garment. Wrapped around the body like a shawl or folded and draped over one shoulder, sarapes were also used as blankets and provided protection from the weather. Made with native, undyed, hand-spun cotton and dyed churro wool from imported sheep, sarapes are soft, light, strong, and warm. With their bold designs and brilliant colors, sarapes became a symbol of Mexican identity following the Mexican Revolution.
Description © Art Institute of Chicago, CC BY 4.0
