Maltese Doll
Identifier
61220/utsc89323
Linked Agent
Collector: María de Lourdes Orozco Cuautle
Resource Type
Genre
Description
Malta is an island country in the center of the Mediterranean, south of Italy. Throughout its history, traditional costumes have been created; but the best known is the one that is made up of a skirt, blouse, and an essential and showy garment known as "ghonella" or "faldetta". During the 16th century, the use of the ghonella or faldetta was common among the women of the island, who regularly wore it in black, and only in white was it intended for the noble women of the place. The skirts were made of cotton or silk fabrics, and their shape was wide because it had to allow air circulation in hot summers, keeping women cool in the face of high temperatures. They used the skirt to protect themselves from the cold only during the winter by wrapping it around their body. The extended shape of the skirt was obtained by placing a curved whalebone inside the seams of the upper fabric, which was then starched and given a rigid shape. This garment was used in Malta for several centuries, and even between 1940 and 1950, it was used daily. However, due to the severe consequences caused by the World War II bombing of the island, which was then a British possession, its use began to decline. In the 1970s, it was rare to see a woman wearing a skirt, and by the end of the 20th century, its use had disappeared entirely. This garment is considered a variation of the Spanish mantilla and is part of the traditional Maltese attire that can still be seen in some festivities in this country.
Physical Form
Extent
21 cm
Rights
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Subject
Local Identifier
EUMA164
View Mode
Schema Type
Creative Work
Physical Description Note Spanish
Plástico, telas de fieltro y satín.
Adquisición: Rosalie Whyel Doll Art Museum, Bellevue, Washington, USA
Adquisición: Rosalie Whyel Doll Art Museum, Bellevue, Washington, USA
Description Spanish
Malta es un país insular situado en el centro del Mediterráneo al sur de Italia. A través de su historia han sido creados diferentes trajes tradicionales; pero el más conocido, es el que se conforma con falda, blusa y una prenda importante y vistosa conocida como "ghonella" o "faldetta". Durante el siglo XVI, el uso de la ghonella o faldetta fue común entre las mujeres de la isla, quienes regularmente la portaban en color negro, y sólo en color blanco estaba destinado a las mujeres nobles del lugar. Las faldettas se elaboraban en telas de algodón o seda, y su forma era amplia porque debía permitir la circulación del aire para los calurosos veranos, manteniendo a las mujeres frescas ante las altas temperaturas. Sólo durante el invierno, ellas utilizaban la faldetta para cubrirse del frío envolviendola alrededor de su cuerpo. La forma extendida de la faldetta se obtenía al colocar un hueso curvo de ballena dentro de las costuras de la tela de la parte superior, para después ser almidonada y darle una forma rígida. Esta prenda fue utilizada en Malta durante varios siglos, y todavía entre los años de 1940 y 1950 , su uso era común. Pero debido a las graves consecuencias originadas por los bombardeos de la Segunda Guerra Mundial a la isla, que entonces era una posesión británica, su uso comenzó a declinarse. En los años de 1970 era raro ver a una mujer con faldetta, y para finales del siglo XX , su uso desapareció por completo. Esta prenda que ha sido considerada como una variación de la mantilla española, es parte de los atuendos tradicionales de Malta que pueden verse todavía dentro de alguna festvidad de éste país.
Suggested Citation
Maltese Doll. Malta. Maria de Lourdes Orozco Cuautle Dolls Collection.
