Toreador suit
A late 19th-century Spanish bullfighter's "suit of lights" covered in gold embroidery and tassels, made by the Madrid tailor J. Uriarte. Full commentary ↓
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Toreador suit is a textile by J. Uriarte (fourth quarter 19th century) in the collection of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. It measures 43.2 cm.
In the pictureA suit made of a short bolero jacket and knee-length breeches is shown on a mannequin. The crimson silk ground is embroidered with gold thread and then densely hung with beads and tassels, so the shoulders, chest and side seams of the breeches are thickly covered in gold. Tassels hang below the knees of the breeches.
BackgroundA bullfighter's suit is called a "suit of lights" (traje de luces), a name that comes from the way the gold thread and beads sparkle in the sun of the bullring. The jacket is short and the breeches fit close so the bullfighter can move quickly in front of the bull, and the heavy ornament on the shoulders added splendor while also protecting them. This late 19th-century suit preserves the name of its tailor, J. Uriarte.
Puzzle tipWith so many gold-embroidered pieces, they look alike at first glance, but the embroidery on the jacket and on the breeches differs in density and direction. Fit first the pieces where the crimson ground shows broadly (the front of the breeches) and the white parts of the mannequin, then tell the top from the bottom of the embroidered pieces by the direction in which the tassels hang.
- Classification
- Main dress-Menswear
- Medium
- silk, metal, metallic, glass, linen
- Dimensions
- 43.2 cm
- Credit line
- Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Museum Expedition 1922, Robert B. Woodward Memorial Fund, 1922
Source: The Metropolitan Museum of Art ↗
Stories about this work
- The Suit of Lights: Four 19th-Century Spanish Toreador Suits and Capes
Why is a toreador's suit, covered in gold thread and beads, called the "suit of lights"? A comparison of the four toreador garments on this site.
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