Fragment

Title: Interlacing Textile History

Author: Jennifer Byram

In 1941, Rudolf Berliner, then a curator at the Cooper Hewitt Museum, donated to the collection this linen sprang fragment from the 18th century. Sprang is one of the oldest and most widespread textile techniques in the world yet perhaps one of the most misunderstood techniques in recent history. Once widely used for an array of items including clothing, belts, bags, caps, and stockings, it is in continuous use by only a few groups today. Sprang consists of a fixed or circular warp where the interlinking, interlacing, or intertwining motion of the warp yarns creates a cloth without need for an introduced weft. This can be accomplished with just the maker’s hands and sticks to hold the rows in place. The fixed nature of the warp results in two identical lengths of cloth for one set of motions worked in the middle of the warp. Peter Collingwood’s 1974 book The Techniques of Sprang: Plaiting on Stretched Threads provides a comprehensive introduction of the application and context of sprang for those interested in learning more.

Sprang cloth is most easily identified by the meeting line of the mirrored cloth where it is finished off. Here there is no meeting line which means the item could technically have been made on a free-hanging warp, i.e. not sprang. Sprang, however, is an efficient technique for such a cloth and was probably used here. This fragment was made with interlinking (think of a chain link fence) in a Z twist direction with an arrangement of holes placed in the fabric to make the resulting designs. The warp measured 29 centimeters as the width of the cloth while the length of the warp extended beyond 20 centimeters to fit to that of a fixed-end flat frame. The item may have been one half of a project cut in half at the meeting line, thus making two identical pieces to be used separately.

This sprang piece may have been used as a woman’s cap or scarf. As seen in the image, this common sprang design, made from holes created in the manipulation of the warp, is only clear if the fragment is stretched out. Once pulled taught lengthwise, the gaps disappear. The fragment could have been used as a cap where the design would be seen spread out as a decorative element on the wearer’s head. Relatively recent examples of such caps can be seen in folk clothing designs from Eastern Europe but in the 1700’s, sprang would have been more common across Europe. While this item recalls white linen Eastern European caps, this old and widespread tradition makes it difficult to place the item definitively in a specific function or location. Even so, Rudolf Berliner collected the fragment at a time when sprang continued to fade as a tradition and formal study of the craft was still in its early stages. Thanks to the progress of key publications on sprang, revitalization efforts put forth by groups who continue sprang traditions, and modern sprang artists and researchers, the technique continues to evolve into the 21st century.

Fragment; linen; H x W: 20 × 29 cm (7 7/8 × 11 7/16 in.); Gift of Anonymous Donor Gift of Anonymous Donor; 1941-97-1