Portrait

<p>Ethel Stein was well known and admired by her contemporaries for her careful study and mastery of several difficult techniques. One of her most ambitious feats was to create her own draw loom, the loom used for weaving complex designs with a system of cords that are activated by hand to control the interlacing of the warps and wefts. This loom—based on technology invented by Chinese silk weavers as early as the seventh century—enabled her to turn from geometric motifs to more pictorial subjects, such as this stylized portrait inspired by Italian Renaissance painting. Stein delineated the subject’s features, hair, and clothing with color and manipulated the weave structure to create subtle changes in texture.</p>

Catalogue

Year
1999
Dimensions
108.5 × 88 cm (46 5/8 × 34 5/8 in.)

Artist

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More by Ethel Stein

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Butah

Butah

2011 · Cotton; warp resist dyed (ikat), satin damask weave

WW-2011-111057
Moon Wall

Moon Wall

2008 · cotton, satin damask weave; woven on a loom with a drawloom attachment fabricated by the artist

WW-2008-132114
Black and White 8

Black and White 8

2007 · Cotton, weft resist dyed (weft ikat) satin damask weave; woven on a loom with a drawloom attachment fabricated by the artist

WW-2007-132123
Black and White 7

Black and White 7

2007 · Cotton, weft resist dyed (weft ikat) satin damask weave; woven on a loom with a drawloom attachment fabricated by the artist

WW-2007-132120
Black and White 9

Black and White 9

2007 · Cotton, weft resist dyed (weft ikat) satin damask weave; woven on a loom with a drawloom attachment fabricated by the artist

WW-2007-132118
Whole and Half Moons

Whole and Half Moons

2007 · Two panels: cotton, satin weave damask; woven on a loom with a drawloom attachment fabricated by the artist

WW-2007-132145