Metal embellished silk vest – Morocco

Object History  

This piece was purchased by Dr. Reem Tariq

Ṭariq: (Arabic; Synonym: tulle_bi_talli

Tūlle_bi_tallī: (French: Tulle – a city in France where fine material for veil was first made; Turkish: tel – wire; Synonym: tariq; talli; badla; khus_dozi ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the North African Arab region specifically in Egypt.

; talli; badla; khus_dozi ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the Levant Arab region specifically in Lebanon.

El Mutwalli Dr. Reem Tariq

Ṭariq: (Arabic; Synonym: tulle_bi_talli

Tūlle_bi_tallī: (French: Tulle – a city in France where fine material for veil was first made; Turkish: tel – wire; Synonym: tariq; talli; badla; khus_dozi ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the North African Arab region specifically in Egypt.

; talli; badla; khus_dozi ), series of small metal knots made on a woven net ground as embellishment. The term is commonly used in the Levant Arab region specifically in Lebanon.

el Mutwallī: Founder (CEO) of the Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative, a public figure, speaker and author. An expert curator and consultant in Islamic art and architecture, interior design, historic costume, and UAE heritage. from a UK-based independent dealer in 2022, to be added to and enhance The Zay Zay: (Arabic: costume, Pl. azyaā’), a set of clothes in a style typical of a particular country or historical period. Initiative collection. 

Object Features  

This is a woman’s waistcoat (rombaïz

Rumbāīz: (Arabic: Qumbāz – a traditional women’s long jacket from the Fertile Crescent), a traditional front-opened and sleeveless waistcoat from the North African Arab countries, especially Morocco. Often constructed of silk brocade or other lush fabric and heavily adorned with metal thread embroidered embellishment.

) in striped silk fabric featuring heavy metal thread embellishment.  

The field of the waistcoat is constructed of a striped silk fabric in a variety of colours – purple, lavender, blue, and gold – with each alternate stripe featuring a floral pattern along a wavy central vine. The front open rombaïz

Rumbāīz: (Arabic: Qumbāz – a traditional women’s long jacket from the Fertile Crescent), a traditional front-opened and sleeveless waistcoat from the North African Arab countries, especially Morocco. Often constructed of silk brocade or other lush fabric and heavily adorned with metal thread embroidered embellishment.

is heavily embellished with metal thread embroidery in (couching

Couching: (Latin: collocare – Place together), in needlework and embroidery couching is a technique in which yarn or other materials are laid across the surface of the ground fabric and fastened in place with small stitches of the same or a different yarn

) style, possibly in gold. It also features an (appliqued Appliqued: (French: appliquer – Apply), ornamental needlework where small pieces of decorative fabric are sewn on to a larger piece to form a pattern.) pattern in (cloth_of_gold

Cloth_of_gold: (English; Synonym: gold_cloth

Gold_cloth: (English; Synonym: cloth_of_gold; tela_aurea

Tela_aurea: (Latin: tela – web, aurea – gold/golden; Synonym: cloth_of_gold; gold_cloth), a luxurious fabric woven with gold threads, creating a shimmering effect. Historically prized for its opulence, it was used in royal garments, ecclesiastical vestments, and ceremonial textiles, signifying wealth and prestige.

), a luxurious fabric woven with gold threads, creating a shimmering effect. Historically prized for its opulence, it was used in royal garments, ecclesiastical vestments, and ceremonial textiles, signifying wealth and prestige.

; tela_aurea

Tela_aurea: (Latin: tela – web, aurea – gold/golden; Synonym: cloth_of_gold; gold_cloth), a luxurious fabric woven with gold threads, creating a shimmering effect. Historically prized for its opulence, it was used in royal garments, ecclesiastical vestments, and ceremonial textiles, signifying wealth and prestige.

), a luxurious fabric woven with gold threads, creating a shimmering effect. Historically prized for its opulence, it was used in royal garments, ecclesiastical vestments, and ceremonial textiles, signifying wealth and prestige

) / (gold_cloth

Gold_cloth: (English; Synonym: cloth_of_gold; tela_aurea

Tela_aurea: (Latin: tela – web, aurea – gold/golden; Synonym: cloth_of_gold; gold_cloth), a luxurious fabric woven with gold threads, creating a shimmering effect. Historically prized for its opulence, it was used in royal garments, ecclesiastical vestments, and ceremonial textiles, signifying wealth and prestige.

), a luxurious fabric woven with gold threads, creating a shimmering effect. Historically prized for its opulence, it was used in royal garments, ecclesiastical vestments, and ceremonial textiles, signifying wealth and prestige.

), also famously known by its Latin name (tela_aurea

Tela_aurea: (Latin: tela – web, aurea – gold/golden; Synonym: cloth_of_gold; gold_cloth), a luxurious fabric woven with gold threads, creating a shimmering effect. Historically prized for its opulence, it was used in royal garments, ecclesiastical vestments, and ceremonial textiles, signifying wealth and prestige.

).   

While the bottom hemline and neckline of the rombaïz

Rumbāīz: (Arabic: Qumbāz – a traditional women’s long jacket from the Fertile Crescent), a traditional front-opened and sleeveless waistcoat from the North African Arab countries, especially Morocco. Often constructed of silk brocade or other lush fabric and heavily adorned with metal thread embroidered embellishment.

is trimmed with braided metal threads (fatlah Fātlah: (Arabic: fatala: to twist/twine, pl. fātlāt/ftūl), in the UAE colloquially, it refers to braids in (tallī) work. The braid or strand resembles a running stitch, where the effect is attained by continuously looping metallic thread with silk, cotton, or synthetic thread.  ), the sleeves are trimmed with thin ribbons of tela_aurea

Tela_aurea: (Latin: tela – web, aurea – gold/golden; Synonym: cloth_of_gold; gold_cloth), a luxurious fabric woven with gold threads, creating a shimmering effect. Historically prized for its opulence, it was used in royal garments, ecclesiastical vestments, and ceremonial textiles, signifying wealth and prestige.

. Either side of the front opening of the rombaïz

Rumbāīz: (Arabic: Qumbāz – a traditional women’s long jacket from the Fertile Crescent), a traditional front-opened and sleeveless waistcoat from the North African Arab countries, especially Morocco. Often constructed of silk brocade or other lush fabric and heavily adorned with metal thread embroidered embellishment.

has a wide band constructed of four vertically parallel lines of braided metal threads with sixteen corded metal thread bell-shaped buttons, also possibly in gold with coral Coral: (Greek: korallion, probably from Hebrew: goral – small pebbles), is a pale to medium shade of pink with orange or peach undertones, resembling the colour of certain species of coral. beads. 

Additionally, there are three tassels near the hem of the rombaïz

Rumbāīz: (Arabic: Qumbāz – a traditional women’s long jacket from the Fertile Crescent), a traditional front-opened and sleeveless waistcoat from the North African Arab countries, especially Morocco. Often constructed of silk brocade or other lush fabric and heavily adorned with metal thread embroidered embellishment.

on either side. While on one side each tassel contains two adjustable ball-shaped buttons, on the other side the tassels have only one button with a loop for fastening.  

A wide tela_aurea

Tela_aurea: (Latin: tela – web, aurea – gold/golden; Synonym: cloth_of_gold; gold_cloth), a luxurious fabric woven with gold threads, creating a shimmering effect. Historically prized for its opulence, it was used in royal garments, ecclesiastical vestments, and ceremonial textiles, signifying wealth and prestige.

ribbon with repeats of floral patterns along a wavy central vine traces along the braided bands of the neckline and front. It curves like a hook and ends in a diamond shape. This is topped with a rounded rectangular patch of braided metal threads. 

A similar but narrower tela_aurea

Tela_aurea: (Latin: tela – web, aurea – gold/golden; Synonym: cloth_of_gold; gold_cloth), a luxurious fabric woven with gold threads, creating a shimmering effect. Historically prized for its opulence, it was used in royal garments, ecclesiastical vestments, and ceremonial textiles, signifying wealth and prestige.

ribbon is used to trim each armhole. It is topped by an ivory cotton and metal thread (crochet Crochet: (French: croc - hook), a handicraft technique that involves using a hooked needle to create interlocking loops of yarn or thread to make a variety of items such as garments, accessories, and home decor. ) scalloped lace trimming at the edge.  

The entire arrangement is bordered with stylized floral patterns composed by looping and twisting gold thread embroidered in couching

Couching: (Latin: collocare – Place together), in needlework and embroidery couching is a technique in which yarn or other materials are laid across the surface of the ground fabric and fastened in place with small stitches of the same or a different yarn

style and features two (palmette Palmette: (French: Palmette – Small palm, synonym Greco-Roman: Anthemion), a decorative element, motif, or ornament particularly pertaining to designs of architecture and decorative arts that has radiating petals resembling a palm leaf. It is believed to have originated in ancient Egypt and had subsequently reached far and wide. ) style foliage patterns. While one is over an ‘S’ shaped base and gives way to another palmette Palmette: (French: Palmette – Small palm, synonym Greco-Roman: Anthemion), a decorative element, motif, or ornament particularly pertaining to designs of architecture and decorative arts that has radiating petals resembling a palm leaf. It is believed to have originated in ancient Egypt and had subsequently reached far and wide.  pattern along a curved vine, the other has a pair of looped patterns flanking its base, giving way to a stylized heart with floral patterns within it.  

The rombaïz

Rumbāīz: (Arabic: Qumbāz – a traditional women’s long jacket from the Fertile Crescent), a traditional front-opened and sleeveless waistcoat from the North African Arab countries, especially Morocco. Often constructed of silk brocade or other lush fabric and heavily adorned with metal thread embroidered embellishment.

is completely hand-stitched and has a plain ivory cotton lining. Two rectangular pieces of striped silk fabric of pink base with (damask Dāmāsk: (Arabic: Damascus – a city in Syria), is a luxurious fabric woven with reversible patterns typically in silk, wool, linen, or cotton. Originating in China, the fabric was perhaps introduced to European traders at Damascus – a major trading post on the Silk Road with a thriving local silk industry. ) woven floral patterned rows alternated with plain blue, green, and yellow are attached to the underside of each flap.  

Links 

• Vogelsang-Eastwood, Gillian. Encyclopedia of Embroidery from the Arab World. Bloomsbury Academic, 2016.  
• Besancenot, Jean, et al. Costumes of Morocco. Kegan Paul International, 1990.  
• Scarce, Jennifer M. Women’s Costume of the near and Middle East. Unwin Hyman, 1987.  
• Montaldo, Elisabetta, and Clotilde Sarnico. L’oro Del Mare: L’antico Costume Delle Donne Di Procida. Libreria Dante & Descartes, 2009.  
• Rubens, Alfred. A History of Jewish Costume. Weidenfeld and Nicholson, 1967.  
• Stillman, Yedida Kalfon, and Norman A. Stillman. Arab Dress: From the Dawn of Islam to Modern Times. Brill, 2000.