1850~, Montenegro

1850~, Montenegro

Description

Woman's sleeveless coat, wool embroidered with silk and trimmed with applied strips of felted woollen cloth and metal sequins. felted wool; F, embroidered, 1800s, Montenegro; Sleeveless jacket This coat is made from prickly wool that was woven and then dyed blue. The white specks are where small clumps of dirt or dust attached themselves to the fabric and did not absorb the dye. Red felted wool was used to trim the edges of the coat and to form a broad band running from the back of the shoulder down to the hip and from there in narrow stripes to the hem. The large rosette placed on top of the hipbone is made from a disc of felted wool to which red, green and yellow tabs have been stitched. The red stripes have been edged with silk embroidery and white silk cords have been coiled and stitched into place. There are more coils along the back edge of the decoration, with a small green rosette running diagonally into the small of the back - emphasising the roundness and power of the pelvis. The side of the hip is not the most obvious place for such three-dimensional decoration but its purpose may have been to draw attention to a woman’s wide pelvis, which would have made her appear eminently suitable for childbearing.