Name/Title
Set of Six Cotton Openwork NapkinsEntry/Object ID
2025.1.392Description
A set of six matching square napkins in ecru, woven as an even, corded weft-rep (ribbed) cotton. Each is decorated with openwork in a drawn-thread/filet manner: dashed openwork lines form a border and concentric diamond/zigzag frames, with a central stylized flower worked as an open filet-style grid. The reverse reads essentially the same as the face, indicating the openwork is structural (woven/machine-worked) rather than surface embroidery. Edges are finished with a narrow folded, stitched hem. The ground is regular and uniform across pieces. Light tan corner staining appears on some pieces. No maker's mark, label, or selvage lettering is visible in the images.Use
Belonged to Gertrudis Caraballo GálvezContext
Matching openwork table-linen sets of this kind were mass-produced and widely exported in the mid-to-late 20th century, including by Eastern-bloc manufacturers (Czechoslovak cotton and cotton/rayon napkin sets are a well-documented export type).Collection
The Cabrera Arús family collection, Gertrudis Caraballo Gálvez collecitionMade/Created
Notes
Maker/Attribution: Unmarked; manufacturer not identified. Industrial/machine production (assessed from the uniform set, regular corded ground, and structural openwork). Probably Eastern bloc (Czechoslovakia or GDR are the leading candidates) — a provenance strongly supported by the collection context and the export record, but not confirmable from the cloth alone, since no country mark or label is visible (flag).
Date: circa 1960s–1980s (tentative).
Place: Eastern Europe (Eastern bloc) (probable; specific country unconfirmed).Parts
Six matching napkins.Materials
Material
FabricMaterial Notes
Ecru cotton (possibly a cotton/rayon blend — common in Czechoslovak napkin sets and consistent with the slight sheen) (tentative; fiber test would confirm); same-fiber openwork.Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Gertrudis Caraballo GálvezNotes
ownerRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
useResearch Notes
Notes
Origin caveat: "Eastern bloc" is a strong provenance hypothesis (context + documented export type), not a confirmed fact, because the pieces carry no visible country mark. Search confirmed Czechoslovak cotton/rayon napkin sets as a real export category (eBay/vintage-linen listings), supporting plausibility.Created By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
June 20, 2026Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
July 1, 2026
