Cleveland Museum of Art

Belt (Hizam)

Date

1800s

Medium

Silk, dye, metal

Culture

Africa, North Africa, Morocco, Fes, Moroccan weaver

Department

Textiles

Institution

Cleveland Museum of Art

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. Women sometimes added starch to stiffen these belts.

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