Title: A Tiger for a Crown
Year: 2020
Medium: Colour pencils on paper
Size: 30 x 21 cm
Series of 22 drawings



WORK




According to a tradition existing in certain regions of China, when a baby is born, they should receive a hat (called "tiger hat") as a gift to protect them from bad spirits and for good fortune. The hats are handcrafted with colourful fabrics and embroidery. As most of the activities that involve a lot of time and craft skills, this is an almost extinct custom.

I found many hats for sale as antiques on Taobao, which is the biggest e-commerce platform in China. These drawings are made from a selection of the photos I saw in the advertisements.











































© Edén Barrena 2025