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Bridal wedding sash

1800s
lampas, warps dyed on the loom: silk
Overall: 396.8 x 38 cm (156 1/4 x 14 15/16 in.)
John L. Severance Fund 1999.253
Location: not on view
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Description

Elaborate wedding sashes woven in Fez, Morocco, are distinctive for their multiple colors, designs, and uses. Folded lengthwise, they are wrapped around the waist so that the colors and designs coordinate with the attire worn during and after a wedding. Typically, the colors vary on each half whereas the designs are the same. Luxury textiles with elaborate patterns were woven on large looms called drawlooms that automatically repeated designs. The weaver operated the structure, inserting horizontal wefts, while the drawboy activated the programmed pattern. However, this wedding sash has ten programmed designs, which required considerable expertise.
Bridal wedding sash

Bridal wedding sash

1800s

Morocco, Fez

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