A Hanging or Curtain for a Wedding Alcove or Reception Room
Tetouan, Morocco
19th century
Silk strip weave with double weave patterning
129 x 24 ins (61 x 328 cm)

This luxurious, shimmering cloth is one of a set of four panels woven by Jewish craftsmen for the urban elite in Morocco.  An early photograph of a wedding ceremony in Tetouan in 1901 shows the identical fabric draping the ceiling of the alcove in which a Moorish bride is secluded (see Paydar and Grammet,  2002, The Fabric of Moroccan Life: p.66).

The perfectly balanced and exquisitely executed design of alternating blue and white geometric squares inlaid within a luminous gold trellis or grid banded with red suggests Hispano-Moresque influence and emulates the magnificent polychrome tile work decorating elite homes.

The panel is complete, photo is cropped at bottom.