Hand stitched cotton face mask – UAE

Object Note
A Batch of 3 identical face masks was commissioned in this lot.
 
Object History
This article among two identical ones was commissioned by Dr. Reem Tariq El Mutwalli Dr. Reem Tariq 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., to show hand-stitched examples of face masks (burgu Burgu’: (Arabic: burqa’: mask, pl. barāqi’), a generic name given to one of many forms of face veils or masks, known as (niqāb). Stiffer versions made of indigo-dyed cotton, are known as (bat Bāṭ: (Arabic: underarm/armpit, pl. bītān, synonym: ibt, tkhrāṣah, tnfāyah/tnfājah), gusset, a triangular or rhomboidal piece of fabric inserted into the seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing. Used for underarms on tunic dresses, side sleeve panels on overgarments (thāwb), and undergarments (ṣarāwl). ūlah) in Oman and Qatar. The (qāf) turns to (ga) in many Arab dialects.).
Made by hand by Halimah Mohammed Khalfan, from Al Wlayah of the eastern region of Khor Fakan. Born in 1968, a widow, she finished her first year of high school, married at the age of 13, and bore 10 children. She works from home as a crafter skilled in a number of UAE traditional crafts saucy as talli Tallī: (Arabic: talā, or talā’: paint or to coat, Turkish: tel: wire, synonyms: asīūṭī, tur_bi_tallī/tulle_bi_talli Tulle_bi_tallī: (English: tulle: netting, Arabic: talā, or talā’: paint or to coat, Turkish: tel: wire, synonyms: asūṭī, tallī, tur_bi_talli, mnaqad/mnaghad, mukaish Mukaish (Indian, synonyms: asūṭī, tallī, tur_bi_tallī/tulle_bi_talli, mnaqad/mnaghad, mukaish, badla/badlah, fardi, khus_dozi Khūs_dozi: (Persian: Khus – Gold; Dozi – sewing or embroidery), any embroidery that is done with gold wire or thread. ). Indian embroidery technique where small rectangular strips of metal are squeezed shut around some threads of the fabric creating intricate shapes and designs., badla/badlah, fardi, khus_dozi Khūs_dozi: (Persian: Khus – Gold; Dozi – sewing or embroidery), any embroidery that is done with gold wire or thread. ). Cotton linen or synthetic mesh hand embellished with flat strips of metal alloys coated with silver or gold squeezed shut around some threads of fabric creating intricate shapes and designs., mnaqad/mnaghad, mukaish Mukaish (Indian, synonyms: asūṭī, tallī, tur_bi_tallī/tulle_bi_talli, mnaqad/mnaghad, mukaish, badla/badlah, fardi, khus_dozi Khūs_dozi: (Persian: Khus – Gold; Dozi – sewing or embroidery), any embroidery that is done with gold wire or thread. ). Indian embroidery technique where small rectangular strips of metal are squeezed shut around some threads of the fabric creating intricate shapes and designs., badla/badlah, fardi, khus_dozi Khūs_dozi: (Persian: Khus – Gold; Dozi – sewing or embroidery), any embroidery that is done with gold wire or thread. ), metal alloys coated with silver or gold, to create either flat straws or coil threads applied on clothing in varying patterns. making, sfifah Sfīfah:(Arabic: woven straw, Pl: sfāyīf, synonym: ‘iqādah), hand-woven or braided decorative trimming and fringing, used on clothing. Also applies to woven palm fronds., etc.
 
Object Features 
The overall shape (gardhah Garḍah: (Arabic: qaraḍa: to bite), in the context of clothing in the UAE it means 'to shape' or 'form'. The (qaf) is pronounced as a (ga) in colloquial Arabic of the Gulf region.) of this face mask (burgu Burgu’: (Arabic: burqa’: mask, pl. barāqi’), a generic name given to one of many forms of face veils or masks, known as (niqāb). Stiffer versions made of indigo-dyed cotton, are known as (bat Bāṭ: (Arabic: underarm/armpit, pl. bītān, synonym: ibt, tkhrāṣah, tnfāyah/tnfājah), gusset, a triangular or rhomboidal piece of fabric inserted into the seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing. Used for underarms on tunic dresses, side sleeve panels on overgarments (thāwb), and undergarments (ṣarāwl). ūlah) in Oman and Qatar. The (qāf) turns to (ga) in many Arab dialects.) follows the (myani Myānī: (Persian: median), colloquially in the UAE the term refers to a medium proportioned face mask (Burgu).) style, named after the overall shape of the mask and generally associated with the tribes in the northern Emirates.
The indigo Indigo: (Latin: Indigo – India, synonym: nil Nīl: (Latin: indigo), Arabised term for Indigo, a natural dye belonging to the ‘Indigofera Tinctoria’ species of plants that have been cultivated in East Asia, Egypt, India, and Peru since antiquity. According to Pliny the Elder, it was named after India as it was the source of the dye.), a natural dye belonging to the ‘Indigofera Tinctoria’ species of plants that has been cultivated in East Asia, Egypt, India, and Peru since antiquity. According to Pliny the Elder, it was named after India as it was the source of the dye.  -dyed, cotton, burqu fabric (nil Nīl: (Latin: indigo), Arabised term for Indigo, a natural dye belonging to the ‘Indigofera Tinctoria’ species of plants that have been cultivated in East Asia, Egypt, India, and Peru since antiquity. According to Pliny the Elder, it was named after India as it was the source of the dye.) is found in grades of bluish to purple, which is then rubbed and pounded to produce a metallic luster ranging from yellow to brown to reddish gold.
The indigo Indigo: (Latin: Indigo – India, synonym: nil Nīl: (Latin: indigo), Arabised term for Indigo, a natural dye belonging to the ‘Indigofera Tinctoria’ species of plants that have been cultivated in East Asia, Egypt, India, and Peru since antiquity. According to Pliny the Elder, it was named after India as it was the source of the dye.), a natural dye belonging to the ‘Indigofera Tinctoria’ species of plants that has been cultivated in East Asia, Egypt, India, and Peru since antiquity. According to Pliny the Elder, it was named after India as it was the source of the dye.   dye would stain the wearer’s face after repeated wear which meant a cloth lining, usually made from cotton, was inserted underneath the traditional face mask burgu Burgu’: (Arabic: burqa’: mask, pl. barāqi’), a generic name given to one of many forms of face veils or masks, known as (niqāb). Stiffer versions made of indigo-dyed cotton, are known as (bat Bāṭ: (Arabic: underarm/armpit, pl. bītān, synonym: ibt, tkhrāṣah, tnfāyah/tnfājah), gusset, a triangular or rhomboidal piece of fabric inserted into the seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing. Used for underarms on tunic dresses, side sleeve panels on overgarments (thāwb), and undergarments (ṣarāwl). ūlah) in Oman and Qatar. The (qāf) turns to (ga) in many Arab dialects. to prevent this. By the 1980s the trend changed to using strips of masking tape (lazig lazig: (Arabic: laziq: glue), Colloquially in the UAE term refers to masking tape or clear acrylic sheets that are glued to the back of face masks (barāgi’) to help protect the face from getting stained by indigo dye, and help stiffen the fabric. The (qāf) turns to (ga) in many Arab dialects.), which were superseded at the turn of the century by clear transparent adhesive sheets, cut to shape, as can be seen in this example.
The mask burgu Burgu’: (Arabic: burqa’: mask, pl. barāqi’), a generic name given to one of many forms of face veils or masks, known as (niqāb). Stiffer versions made of indigo-dyed cotton, are known as (bat Bāṭ: (Arabic: underarm/armpit, pl. bītān, synonym: ibt, tkhrāṣah, tnfāyah/tnfājah), gusset, a triangular or rhomboidal piece of fabric inserted into the seam to add breadth or reduce stress from tight-fitting clothing. Used for underarms on tunic dresses, side sleeve panels on overgarments (thāwb), and undergarments (ṣarāwl). ūlah) in Oman and Qatar. The (qāf) turns to (ga) in many Arab dialects. is fastened to the head using braided cord known as (shbuch Shbūch: (Arabic: shabak: interlace), Colloquially in the UAE term refers to braided cotton or metallic cord used to fasten face mask (burgu’) to the head. The (kāf) turns to (cha) in local dialect.); in the red, white, or brown cotton cord, or silver/gold metallic coil, or a combination of the two as in this example.