Woman's Plangi Dress
Highly skilled dyers in the cities of Hama, Homs, and Damascus, who were typically women, created traditional plangi dresses for bridal trousseaus and festive occasions. The dresses are named for their dotted pattern, which is produced using a resist-dye technique like tie-dye (palangi means "from leopard" in Persian and Ottoman Turkish). The plangi patterns on this dress were made by dyeing the fabric three times, beginning with yellow (the lightest color). Next, small sections of the fabric were tied tightly with cotton thread to create the desired pattern. After the dress was dyed two more times (first red, then black), the cotton ties were removed to reveal small lozenges of color. The dress’s uneven, stubby texture indicates that the yarns used were most likely made from high-quality raw silk waste rather than finely spun silk threads.
Artwork Details
- Title: Woman's Plangi Dress
- Date: first half 20th century
- Geography: Made in Syria, probably Hama
- Medium: Silk and cotton; plain weave; resist-dyed
- Dimensions: Length at CB. 51 in. (129.5 cm)
- Classification: Main dress-Womenswear
- Credit Line: Gift of Dr. Marilyn Jenkins-Madina, in memory of her mother, Margaret Pyle Jenkins, 2008
- Object Number: 2008.274.4
- Curatorial Department: Islamic Art
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ca. 1900–early 20th century
probably early 20th century
probably early 20th century
probably early 20th century
early 20th century
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