Belt (Hizam)

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 although 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.

Provenance

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Belt (Hizam)

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1800s

Accession Number

1999.253

Medium

Silk, dye, metal

Dimensions

Overall: 396.8 x 38 cm (156 1/4 x 14 15/16 in.)

Classification

Textile

Museum

The Cleveland Museum of Art

Cleveland, United States

Credit Line

John L. Severance Fund