{"id":3807,"date":"2012-02-12T11:36:57","date_gmt":"2012-02-12T18:36:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/?p=3807"},"modified":"2012-02-20T20:58:39","modified_gmt":"2012-02-21T03:58:39","slug":"yasmela-shelley-tulle-bi-telli","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gildedserpent.com\/cms\/2012\/02\/12\/yasmela-shelley-tulle-bi-telli\/","title":{"rendered":"The Mystery of Tulle bi Telli"},"content":{"rendered":"

Assuit Shawls, a Research Paper from 1979<\/h2>\n

\"Yasmela<\/p>\n

by Yasmela-Shelly Muzzy<\/a>
\nposted February 12, 2012<\/span><\/h3>\n

Most of this was written in about 1978-79 when I was at Fairhaven College\/Western Washington University<\/span> getting my BA in History and Research.\u00a0 I have amended the end of it, but it was a paper written as the culmination of a quarter\u2019s research into metal thread embroidery.\u00a0 At that time, videos were not available of the Stars of Egypt<\/strong>, so seeing the amazing costumes that are available on YouTube to everyone now was not possible.\u00a0 I did weeks of library research, inter-library loan, etc. as well as personal interviews with dancers and collectors including Aisha Ali<\/a>, Cathryn Balk<\/span> (Farideh) <\/span>and a collector from the UK.<\/em><\/p>\n

Metal thread embroidery is an ancient form of ornamentation and can be found throughout the Middle East, the Balkans, India, China, Japan and parts of Europe.\u00a0 There are biblical references to its use with the linen cloth of Egypt.\u00a0 Inexpensive machine embroidery, usually containing metal-wrapped threads, is a common export from India today.\u00a0 At one time, however, Egyptian net embroidery was a unique product that involved the export of shawls around the world.<\/p>\n

The invention of the bobbinet machine in Tulle, France in the early 19th century gave impetus to the popularity of hexagonal mesh fabric and it became known as tulle<\/em>.\u00a0 During the French Protectorate, the bobbinet machine was introduced into the Asyut region of Upper Egypt by the French in hopes of establishing a source of employment and income to the depressed farming area sometime in the latter part of the 19th century.\u00a0 The Asyut region was a logical location since that area was already a well established textile center.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

After manufacture, the hexagonal net fabric was given to local artisans.\u00a0 It was then embroidered with 1\/8 inch flat strips of metal, gilt silver or copper wire and later, chrome plated copper or brass.<\/p>\n

The wire was crossed over the threads, cut and folded into a small package to keep the ends from poking out.\u00a0 When finished, the piece was laid out and the metal work was hammered flat and sometimes rolled to give it a uniform texture.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

The motifs used were either geometric or figurative and sometimes combinations of both.\u00a0 One source told me the geometric pieces were older, although the use of figures by Coptic artisans dates back to the introduction of Christianity into Egypt.\u00a0 It was common for bird and animal motifs to be used for ornamentation during the Ottoman occupation (1517-1914 except for a brief French occupation during the Napoleonic wars).\u00a0 Some older pieces were very elaborately decorated or even solidly filled in with little or no exposed net and little discernible pattern.\u00a0 Finished shawls were sold by weight, if they were silver, to European tourists who then used them as shawls or piano scarves.\u00a0 In the early 20th century many pieces were used to make gowns or robes, the first true lame.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Assuit\u2019s first appearance in quantity in the U.S. was at the 1893 Chicago Exposition where they were sold as souvenirs of the scandalous Midway Plaisance.\u00a0 Shawls experienced another upsurge with the opening of King Tut\u2019s Tomb in 1922 when all things Egyptian became popular.<\/p>\n

\"EarlyAlthough these shawls have been around well over 100 years, it is very difficult to obtain information about their origin.\u00a0 Having dealt with assuit since I first discovered it as a student of Jamila Salimpour<\/span> in San Francisco in 1972, I have been fascinated with the plethora of romantic myths and stories that accompanied each piece.\u00a0 Through the years I\u2019ve had many many pieces pass through my hands.\u00a0 There are seldom two pieces alike with the exception of the smaller sparsely worked geometrics.\u00a0 The larger pieces are quite elaborate and as a form of folk embroidery, I have been told that patterns were passed down through families.\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Figured shawls that I have actually seen and handled have consisted of a huge variety of patterns: Tree of life, tent or mosque, camels, geese, people, camels with god\u2019s eyes on their backs, god\u2019s eyes, snowflakes.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Geometrics consist of large and small diamonds filled with cross stitch, lines or grids and chevrons.\u00a0 Most of the shawls are white, ecru or black.\u00a0 I believe the colored shawls were dyed after they were made or sold.\u00a0 I have seen them in the classic rectangle shape, as bed canopies, and in small squares.\u00a0 There is evidence that triangle and small rectangle shawls were made in Syria of a much finer softer net and worked in real silver.\u00a0 I have seen several of these and they are cited in The Arts and Crafts of Syria<\/em> by Johannes Kalter<\/span>.\u00a0 These pieces have delicate finished edgings.\u00a0 There were a number of dresses made from assuit that were originally designed as long traditional dresses, not shawls made into dresses.\u00a0 They are patterned with appropriate protective embroidery designs around the neck openings, sleeve edges, side openings and usually triangular filled areas across the pelvic area.\u00a0 Upon close examination of the rectangular shawls, you will often be able to discern a discrepancy in pattern along the side that is considered the \u201csignature\u201d of the embroiderer.\"John<\/p>\n

Today we can see assuit worn in the vintage Egyptian films of famous dancers.\u00a0 The dresses usually denote the dancer as doing a baladi<\/em> (country) style dance, which would be a toss to the origin of the shawls in Upper Egypt, the country.\u00a0 The 1950\u2019s production of Samson and Delilah<\/em> starring Hedy Lamar <\/span>shows the splendor of its use as exotic costuming for Ms. Lamar.\u00a0 She appears in two magnificent outfits, one of white and one of black assuit shawls made into dresses.\u00a0 The more modern film adaptation of Agatha Christie<\/span>\u2019s Death on the Nile<\/em> features Mia Farrow wearing a late \u201820\u2019s, early \u201830’s style gown of ecru assuit.\u00a0 During the late 60\u2019s and early 70\u2019s the pioneer of Middle Eastern dance on the West Coast, Jamila Salimpour, gave great impetus to a revived interest in this fascinating cloth.\u00a0 When she took Middle Eastern dance out of the clubs and onto the stage of the Northern Renaissance Pleasure Faire, they became her signature look.\u00a0 Her troupe of dancers, Bal Anat<\/span>, became famous for draping themselves in this exotic fabric and achieved a romantic, tribal elegance, entertaining families with a fantasy variety show.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/p>\n

Many old pieces of assuit have found their way into private collections and even scraps can sell for high prices to become incorporated into the modern tribal look popular with some present day performers.\u00a0 There is new assuit being manufactured, but the cloth and workmanship are light years away from the drape and weight of the older shawls.\u00a0 The older pieces were labor intensive and expensive.\u00a0 It is unlikely that we will see this quality of workmanship revived.\u00a0 The romance that surrounds these shawls harkens back to a different era, when handicrafts were valued for their own sake, and intricate decoration of everyday objects was part of everyone\u2019s life.
\nIf you do own one of the older shawls, or should you be looking for one, a note on their storage: The metal used for design can cause the cotton or linen thread base net to rot.\u00a0 Metal just does this naturally, but if the cloth has been exposed to light and dust, it speeds up the process of deterioration.\u00a0 Perspiration is deadly to both cloth and metal.\u00a0 Do not fold the pieces to store.\u00a0 Simply lift them up and sort of puddle them in a nice acid free paper or chemical free bag, out of the light.\u00a0 At my advancing age, and having coveted the shawls as both a dancer and textile collector, I hesitate to tell you not to use them or wear them.\u00a0 Egads, if they are in good condition, wear them, flaunt them, enjoy them.\u00a0 Try not to hang them on the wall in the sun, but do show them off.\u00a0 They\u2019ve been here a long time and you won\u2019t be.<\/p>\n

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