Cagliari Panattara gala dress

The term panattara (known as a panetera) designated a category of profession in nineteenth-century Cagliari: women who made bread and sold it mostly on their doorstep, or, in the case of the owners, bought it to be resold in their own shop.

The example of Panattara's grand gala dress portrayed in the photographs dates back to the end of the 19th century and is kept at the Nuoro Costume Museum.

The headpiece consists of two overlapping elements.

The hair is collected by a black sackcloth (cambùsciu or scòffia), made of cotton thread, of clear Spanish descent, knitted with five needles according to the pibionis technique (with grains). Another feature of the cap is a black silk ribbon, which wraps around the forehead, the ends of which are tied behind the back of the neck. Above the headphone, there is perhaps the most characteristic element of this clothing set: the mantilla with an array of 'e pratta (embroidered in silver thread), a very large red cloth head cloak, internally bordered by a large band of blue silk satin. But the most striking detail coincides with the beautiful silver trin decorations, which are punctually reflected in the fan motifs of the mantillas of some Majorcan gala dresses.

The shirt is superimposed by a black satin silk jacket (Gipponi), shaped and tied on the front with a black ribbon. Crossed on the chest, to completely cover the shirt and gipponi, are the flaps of sa perra (triangular breast tissue) and arranda, in embroidered tulle like an apron (deventale).

The skirt is in blue silk satin, wide, bell-shaped and very long to cover the feet (hence the name of a peacock). The impressive volume of the garment was guaranteed, not only by the large amount of fabric used for its packaging, but also by the presence of one or two petticoats.

Of the set of jewels included in this sumptuous set of clothing, in the photographs of the immortalized example, there is only a silver rosary with a rich appendix of reliquaries. In reality, the woman who wore this type of dress was rarely without earrings. The latter, generally in gold, could be of the so-called pàlia model (in the shape of a shovel), or of the walled variety, with the terminal pendant element, made of aggregated skirmish pearls, similar to a blackberry. As for the necklaces, it could be worn sa cannaca (necklace with large golden holes) alone or in association with a chain with several turns (daffodigliu or ghettau). Two brooches (bròscias) were attached to the breast tissue. The photographs and depictions from the late 19th century present, as confirmed by ethnographic research, the presence of su dòminu, a pendant in gold foil and scaramazze pearls, with a female profile at the center, which represented, on a symbolic level, the power of the landlady.

Update

21/4/2024 - 12:10