Woman in Finery with Hand-drawn Face, Wonderful Late 18th/Early 19th Century Silk Embroidery on Paper stoneware bowl To me it's like a

To me it's like a more succinct and visceral version of a rag ball

) and so am more inclined to treat them as individual drawings (and portraits) of sorts

I really like the big leafy branches at either side

though perhaps a female santo

Woman in Finery with Hand-drawn Face, Wonderful Late 18th/Early 19th Century Silk Embroidery on Paper stoneware bowl To me it's like aI purchased this one from a very knowledgable, longtime dealer of antique textiles and folk art with an exquisite eye. A few years ago I purchased a marvelous silk embroidery of a very folky bird on brown paper just like this, in original frame under very thin blown glass one of my favorite things ever, and which immediately came to mind when I saw this. This is very early 19th century or perhaps even late 18th, American I believe, and the dealer