shawl pin thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

shawl pin

Shawl Pin
1800-1899 (made)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

The shawl pins worn by native South American indians in the Andean and Patagonian regions of the continent originated with the Inca peoples. The pins might be worn in pairs on the breast, or as a single pin at the shoulder to secure a cloak. The Quechua term 'tupu' used by the Incas refers to a pair of pins worn vertically (the point upwards), joined by a chain, while the Quechua word 'ttipqui' indicates single pin worn horizontally on the shoulder. In fact, the word 'tupu' was used by foreigners from at least the seventeenth century as a general term for the shawl pins used by native women. The Franciscan missionary Fray Diego de Ocaña, writing about his visit to Chile in 1600, records that the Mapuche women wore 'a square blanket over their shoulders, gathered at the breast with a gold or silver topo'. This modern example reworks an element of traditional dress using a popular motif in the iconography of the Catholic religion: the flaming heart symbolises Christ's love for humanity.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Titles
  • shawl pin (generic title)
  • shawl pin (generic title)
Materials and techniques
Silver set with red facetted paste
Brief description
Heart-shaped silver cloak pin set with a red paste gem, Patagonia region (Southern Chile), 1800-1899.
Physical description
Large heart of stamped silver, slightly curved in the centre, with a border of pierced loops, and stylised flames at the top. A small facetted red paste is attached by rivets in the centre. There is a pin soldered to the top of the back and bent over to run down vertically below the lower edge.
Dimensions
  • Length: 22.5cm
  • Width: 11.0cm
  • Depth: 2.4cm
Credit line
Gift of HM Queen Mary
Subjects depicted
Summary
The shawl pins worn by native South American indians in the Andean and Patagonian regions of the continent originated with the Inca peoples. The pins might be worn in pairs on the breast, or as a single pin at the shoulder to secure a cloak. The Quechua term 'tupu' used by the Incas refers to a pair of pins worn vertically (the point upwards), joined by a chain, while the Quechua word 'ttipqui' indicates single pin worn horizontally on the shoulder. In fact, the word 'tupu' was used by foreigners from at least the seventeenth century as a general term for the shawl pins used by native women. The Franciscan missionary Fray Diego de Ocaña, writing about his visit to Chile in 1600, records that the Mapuche women wore 'a square blanket over their shoulders, gathered at the breast with a gold or silver topo'. This modern example reworks an element of traditional dress using a popular motif in the iconography of the Catholic religion: the flaming heart symbolises Christ's love for humanity.
Bibliographic references
  • King, Heidi. Catalogue entry, 'Dress pins (tupus)'. In: Phipps, Elena, Johanna Hecht, and Cristina Esteras Martín, eds. The Colonial Andes: Tapestries and Silverwork, 1530–1830. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004. ISBN 9781588391322.
  • Holohan, Kate E., 'Mantle pin (ttipqui)'. Catalogue entry on the website of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
  • V., Carla Miranda. La Platería Mapuche. Tradición y técnica. Santiago de Chile: Museo Histórico Nacional, 2014. ISBN 978-956-7297-33-7.
Collection
Accession number
M.133-1916

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Record createdJune 24, 2009
Record URL
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