Overcoat Dress (Jellaya)

Description

Star motifs adorn the chest of this elaborate jellaya, or Palestinian overcoat dress, evoking a night sky aglow with brilliant lights. Lower down, palm-tree motifs, flowing zigzags of water, and trees of life create a rich, earthy tableau in hues of purple, yellow, green, and reddish rust. The skirt is covered in intricate, labor-intensive cross-stitch embroidery known as tatreez, and the specific patterns are hallmarks of garments made and worn in the Ramallah region of Palestine in the mid-to late 19th century.

Provenance

George F. Porter (died 1927), Chicago, by 1927; to his estate [Incoming receipt, R3266, Mar. 16, 1927; copy in curatorial object file]; bequeathed to the Art Institute of Chicago, 1927.

Overcoat Dress (Jellaya)

Mid- late 19th century

Accession Number

59607

Medium

Linen; silk embroidery

Dimensions

134 × 120.1 cm (52 3/4 × 47 1/4 in.); Center neck to bottom hem: H.: 132.1 cm (52 in.); Collar to wrist, proper right: W.: 52.1 cm (20 1/2 in.); Collar to wrist, proper left: W.: 55.3 cm (21 3/4 in.); Shoulder seam to shoulder seam: W.: 75.6 cm (29 3/4 in.)

Classification

textile

Museum

The Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, United States

Credit Line

Bequest of George F. Porter