Fichu (Shawl)

Date19th century

Label TextFeather light pina cloth has a dynamic place in textile history. Spanish sailors brought the first pineapple, likely from Brazil, to Manila in the 16th century, finding that the fruit helped prevent scurvy on long voyages. Fibers for the cloth are extracted from the spiny leaves of the plant. Embroidery designs were added a century later. By the 19th century, pina was sought after to dress people and tables. Fichus were common to European and American fashion, covering a woman’s neck and shoulders with a flourish of soft shimmering elegance.

Object number33.261

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Seattle Asian Art Museum, Boundless: Stories of Asian Art, Feb. 8, 2020 - ongoing [on view Feb. 8, 2020 - July 11, 2021].Published ReferencesFoong, Ping, Xiaojin Wu, and Darielle Mason. "An Asian Art Museum Transformed." Orientations vol. 51, no. 3 (May/June 2020): p. 59, reproduced fig. 20 (installation view).

Credit LineEugene Fuller Memorial Collection

Dimensions35 1/2 × 50 in. (90.2 × 127 cm)

MediumPina (pineapple fiber) cloth