Palla
The palla was a female mantle in ancient Rome, usually a rectangular wrap worn over a tunic and, in some settings, a stola. It was not an under-tunic or another name for the stola.
The cloth could pass over a shoulder, around the back and over an arm. An edge could cover the head. Images show different arrangements rather than one compulsory wrapping method. Head covering may express piety, respectability or conventions of portraiture.
The palla is compared with the male toga as an element of public dress, but their shapes and social meanings were not identical. Matrons could wear a palla together with a stola. A claim that the mantle was universally replaced by the dalmatic in the third century oversimplifies changes in clothing.
Statue of Livia in a prayerful pose. Marble, second quarter of the first century CE. Vatican Museums, Museo Pio Clementino, inv. 637.
Livia. Marble, mid-first century CE. Louvre, Paris, inv. MR 260 / Ma 1245.
Seated Livia, copy in the Museum of Roman Civilisation, Rome. The original is in the National Archaeological Museum, Madrid; early first century CE.Paintings show women’s mantles in various colours, including red, yellow, blue and green. Surviving images do not establish a compulsory palette or securely rank colours by frequency. An artist’s pigment is not the same as a textile dye, and preservation and restoration affect what we see.
The return of Chryseis. Wall painting from Pompeii, 45–79 CE.
Wall painting from the House of the Surgeon, Pompeii. National Archaeological Museum, Naples, inv. 9018. 50–79 CE.Reconstruction
Begin with a date, place and particular female figure. Fine wool can create supple drapery; choose weight and density to match the visible folds. Linen or heavier cloth should be selected for the intended context, not as a universal substitute.
A rectangular mantle mainly requires finishing its edges. During fitting, check the folds at the shoulder, arm movement and head covering. An added brooch or belt should match the chosen example rather than be introduced automatically.
Reconstruction of a Roman woman wearing a palla.
Reconstruction of a Roman matron wearing a palla.
Modern rectangular palla pattern. The diagram suggests a cloth length of 2.5–4.5 m depending on the wearer’s height; this is a reconstruction range, not an ancient standard.Related topics
Literature and sources
- Kelly Olson. Dress and the Roman Woman: Self-Presentation and Society. Routledge, 2008.
- Judith Lynn Sebesta and Larissa Bonfante, eds. The World of Roman Costume. University of Wisconsin Press, 1994.
- The stola and female dress: ancient evidence.
- “Palla”, Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, 1890–1907 [in Russian; a historical reference].
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