Cleveland Museum of Art

Embroidery sampler (chelliga/shelliga)

Date

1800s

Medium

Cotton, silk, dye

Culture

Africa, North Africa, Morocco, Salé, Moroccan embroiderer

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

These detailed samplers demonstrate the artist's technical range. Here, floral designs, protective open-palm hand motifs ( khamsa ) and various patterns are embroidered using double-running stitches, straight stitches, and long-armed cross stitches with dyed silk thread. Young women from all social classes would learn these skills from a master craftswoman ( mu’allima ), who taught within her home. Upon the completion their studies, these professionally trained women would produce a sampler as a “diploma” testifying to their skills. This sampler's motifs include human figures, floral motifs, doorways, and “resha” starlike motifs. It is unusual for samplers to have a fringe border.

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