Woman's Robe

Textiles

1840/60

Uzbekistan, Bukhara

This woman’s robe exemplifies the long tradition of ikat production in Central Asia, specifically, in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, once an active center along the ancient Silk Road. Among the many uses of ikats was their role as a component of a woman’s dowry. A woman would have worn this robe at weddings and other special occasions, and at her funeral it would have been draped over her bier. The choice of fabric was determined by a woman’s age and status. In general, young women wore bright colors and large patterns, while older women dressed in more sober hues. Most women wore garments made of inexpensive native cotton fabrics, but wealthy women owned robes made of silk and cotton-wefted ikat fabric. Ikat is an ancient technique involving precise and repeated tying (binding) and dyeing of threads or yarns before they are woven. The warp threads are dyed, while the weft threads usually remain solid in color. These threads intersect at right angles during the weaving process; the results are complex patterns in dazzling color combinations that produce a slightly blurred visual effect known by the Persian word abr (“cloud”).

Status: Currently Off View
Department: Textiles

Title: Woman's Robe
Place: Uzbekistan (Object made in)
Date Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.: Made 1840–1869
Medium: Silk and cotton, plain weave; warp-resist-dyed (ikat); edged with silk twined embroidery
Dimensions: 134 × 167.5 cm (52 13/16 × 54 in.)
Credit Line: Gift of Guido Goldman
Reference Number: 2005.606
IIIF Manifest The International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) represents a set of open standards that enables rich access to digital media from libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural institutions around the world. Learn more.: https://api.artic.edu/api/v1/artworks/185619/manifest.json

The Art Institute of Chicago. “The Silk Road and Beyond: Travel, Trade, and Transformation” Museum Studies, vol. 33, no. 1 (Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2007), p. 25.

Art Institute of Chicago, Elizabeth F. Cheney and Agnes Allerton Textile Galleries, Recent Acquisitions of Textiles, 2004-2011, December 13, 2012-May 27, 2013.
Art Institute of Chicago, Islamic Arts, Gallery 50, July 10-December 11, 2018.

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.