Skip to Main Content

Decorative Band

possibly 1700s or 1800s
This object has related works. See
Linen, silk, and dye
Overall: 27.9 x 80.6 cm (11 x 31 3/4 in.)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Wade 1916.1244
Location: not on view
You can copy, modify, and distribute this work, all without asking permission. Learn more about CMA's Open Access Initiative.

Download, Print and Share

Did You Know?

This textile represents the work of at least four individuals: the person who prepares the fibers, the weaver, the dyer, and the embroiderer.

Description

Small bands like this decorated furnishings. They are distinctive to Azemmour, Morocco, where Jewish women embroidered them at home. This band’s red designs are floral and geometric; the scrolls may be abstracted dragons. Its Renaissance-era motifs reflect centuries of cross-Mediterranean exchange (especially with Portugal, which ruled Azemmour from 1513 to 1541). Such designs traveled to North Africa via printed pattern books. Patterns were transferred onto fabric, then the backgrounds were covered with filling stitches: plait and cross-stitches were used here. The production of these embroideries ceased around the mid-1900s because of cost and changing fashions.
Decorative Band

Decorative Band

possibly 1700s or 1800s

Africa, North Africa, Morocco, Azemmour, Moroccan embroiderer

See Also

Visually Similar Artworks

Contact us

The information about this object, including provenance, may not be currently accurate. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@clevelandart.org.

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.

All images and data available through Open Access can be downloaded for free. For images not available through Open Access, a detail image, or any image with a color bar, request a digital file from Image Services.