Remarkable Antique Filipino Pink Silk Rose Pattern Manila Shawl. Early 20th Century chinoiserie design with roses throughout, a border, and incredibly long delicate fringe. Perfect for going flamenco dancing or to cover your grandmother's couch back. 

Overall Size: 68 x 72 in. 

Without Fringe: 44 x 48 in. 

The Manila shawl (known in Spanish as mantón de Manila or mantón de seda) is an embroidered silk shawl derived from the Philippine alampay or scarf (likely from the Luzonian or Tagalog variant). They were popular in the Philippines, Latin America, and Spain during the colonial era. It was also adopted and became popular in European fashions in the 19th Century. In modern times it is still an aspect of various traditional clothing in Hispanic cultures and is particularly prominent as part of the costume (traje de flamenca) of flamenco dancers (bailaoras) and Gitana women. The shawls are square pieces of silk embroidered in chinoiserie-style motifs. The shawls were folded in half like a triangle and worn over the shoulders. Traditional shawls in the Philippines were head and neck covers known as alampay, and adapted to include European design motifs like floral embroidery (using techniques like calado, sombrado, and deshilado). In addition to the native abacá fiber, they were also made from piña fiber, acquired from pineapples introduced by the Spanish. They also featured borders of lace or long knotted fringes, a Spanish element which itself was acquired from the Moors. These Spanish-style shawls were known as pañuelos in Philippine Spanish, and were an integral part of the traditional traje de mestiza fashion of aristocratic Filipino women. They were also considered luxury goods exported via the Manila galleons to Nueva España and Europe, sometimes as gifts to royalty. Silk never became an established industry in the Philippines and remained a Chinese monopoly, prompting the Spanish Empire to restrict silk trade with China in 1535, then banning it altogether in 1718. However, following protests by the middlemen in Manila, the silk ban was lifted in 1734, though it required silk to pass through Manila, which afforded the nation a trade monopoly, at least. Capitalizing on this new demand, Chinese factories in Canton (modern Guangzhou) and Macau started producing large quantities of painted or embroidered silk in the 18th Century, for the sole purpose of exporting them to the Philippines and from there to further Spanish colonies and Europe. Their popularity in Spain increased after Mexico’s independence in 1815, and the Manila shawl was also used to decorate grand pianos and sofas in elegant houses. However, with the loss of the Philippines in 1898 in the aftermath of the Spanish-American War, Spain finally lost access to the silk trade. This spurred local weavers to recreate the embroideries in chinoiserie, and the pieces became denser and more colorful, with larger flowers resembling chintz. The knotted fringes also gradually became longer, accentuating movements by women as they walked or danced. Despite many changes in fashion throughout the 20th and 21st Centuries, the shawls remain popular, particularly for wearing during festivals or in traditional dances.