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Embroidered coverlet (Colcha)

1786
Not on view
This bedcover was made in 1786 by Rosa Solís y Menéndez, who belonged to a prominent creole family from the Yucatan peninsula. Embroidered in bright-colored silk on a textured cotton ground, its lively imagery celebrates love and marriage. The elegantly dressed couple in the center of the coverlet probably represent Doña Rosa and her Spanish-born husband, Gabriel Milanés, whom she married in 1778. The background pattern of flowering vines upheld by trellises is a traditional symbol of marriage.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Embroidered coverlet (Colcha)
  • Maker: Doña Rosa Solís y Menéndez
  • Date: 1786
  • Geography: Made in Mérida, Mexico
  • Culture: Mexican
  • Medium: Cotton embroidered with silk
  • Dimensions: 100 x 73 in. (254 x 185.4 cm)
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Everfast Fabrics Inc. Gift, 1971
  • Object Number: 1971.20
  • Curatorial Department: The American Wing

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1739
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