2-724-749 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Bridal wedding sash, 1800s. Elaborate wedding sashes woven in Fez, Morocco, are distinctive for their multiple colours, designs, and uses. Folded lengthwise, they are wrapped around the waist so that the colours and designs coordinate with the attire worn during and after a wedding. Typically, the colours vary on each half whereas 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.