Toreador suit

Unknown

fourth quarter 19th century · silk, metal, glass · Costume Institute

The tradition of bullfighting spread to Mexico with the Spanish occupation in the 16th century. The traditional traje de luces or suit of lights consists of fitted knee-length pants, vest, jacket, tie, pink stockings, and cape, and has remained unchanged for nearly two hundred years. The suits are quite expensive and take up to a month to create, with several seamstresses working in conjunction. The most traditional are densely embroidered in metallic gold and silver braid, beads, and sequins.

Artist

Unknown

Date

fourth quarter 19th century

Medium

silk, metal, glass

Culture

probably Mexican

Department

Costume Institute

Credit line

Brooklyn Museum Costume Collection at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of the Brooklyn Museum, 2009; Gift of Adele Simpson, 1945