Name/Title
Round coiled plant-fiber coasterEntry/Object ID
2025.1.153Description
A small circular coaster of coiled and stitched plant fiber (rush/straw-type), worked as a flat spiral from a central coil outward to a braided, lightly scalloped rim. The fiber is now an aged grayish-brown, dry and weathered, with the individual coils and binding stitches clearly visible. Faint specks and traces of color survive on the surface; per donor information, the coaster originally carried painted lines that have now largely faded. No maker's mark, label, or lettering is present. The piece reads as a handmade woven craft.Use
Used by Leopoldo Arús Gálvez at home.Context
Purchased in the 1980s on Reina street in Havana, at a store that sold Soviet merchandise that arrived through the trade agreements between Cuba and the USSR.Collection
The Cabrera Arús family collection, Leopoldo Arús Gálvez collectionMaterials
Material Notes
Materials: Coiled plant fiber (rush, sedge, palm, or similar — specific plant undetermined); remnants of applied paint/pigment (largely lost).
Technique: Coiled basketry — a continuous fiber bundle wound in a flat spiral and bound with stitching, finished with a braided/scalloped edge; surface then decorated with painted lines (now faded).Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Leopoldo Arús GálvezNotes
ownerRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
use, purchaseCreated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
April 7, 2026Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
June 18, 2026